MLB trade deadline: Orioles reportedly to acquire slugger Eloy Jimenez from White Sox

According to the Chicago White Sox, they may retain outfielder Luis Robert Jr. through the MLB trade deadline. Russell Dorsey of Yahoo SportsBut the team sends designated hitter Eloy Jiménez to the Baltimore Orioles, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports.

Jimenez has played in just 65 games this season, sitting out the injured list with a left adductor strain and a left hamstring strain. He is hitting .240 with a .642 OPS, nine doubles, five home runs and 16 RBI.

The six-year veteran has been on the injured list eight times during his career with the White Sox, which began in 2019. This year, a left hamstring injury sidelined him for a month, from May 22 to June 23.

Jimenez has never played more than 122 games in a season. That was in his rookie year when he hit 31 home runs. He hasn’t come close to that feat since.

Baltimore has had some decent production from its DH position, ranking among the top seven teams in MLB with a combined .279 batting average with an .839 OPS, 20 home runs and 63 RBI. As a team, the Orioles rank second in the American League with 537 runs scored.

Jimenez, however, potentially adds a right-handed power bat to a lineup that has seen much of its production come from the left side. For his career, he’s batted .264 with a .760 OPS against left-handed pitching.

Jimenez, 27, has two club options worth a total of $35 million remaining on his contract. However, the Orioles could pay a $3 million buyout for 2025 or 2026, according to Spotrac.

In return, the White Sox will receive reliever Trey McGough, reports Bob Nightengale of USA TodayThe right-handed pitcher, 26, has pitched in the Orioles’ system this season between Double-A and Single-A, posting a 1.99 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 54 1/3 innings.