Chicago White Sox rookie slugger Jose Abreu was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday. According to MLB.com’s Scott Merkin Abreu has been suffering from a sore ankle for approximately the past ten days. He has been diagnosed with posterior tibia tendinitis in his left ankle, which may sound worse than it is. The diagnosis in more basic terms can be described as ankle inflammation. Still the inflammation is enough to sideline Abreu for the next two weeks.
Abreu was wearing an ankle shield during the White Sox loss to the Houston Astros on Saturday. He was eventually replaced in the seventh inning by veteran first baseman Paul Konerko after having shown a noticable limp during his previous at-bat. That at-bat ended in a fly out.
Abreu, 27, signed a $68 million contract with the White Sox in the off season and has thus far proved to be a very valuable asset to the team. He is leading MLB in home runs with 15 and leads the American League in RBI with 42, just one behind the National League’s leader, Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins. The Cuban born Abreu also set a number of MLB Rookie and White Sox records during the month of April, his first month ever to play in the big leagues.
Even though Abreu had been trying to play through the pain, he said Saturday that he understood that he needed to take time to rest and let his ankle heal in order to continue to be an effective player for the White Sox.
Lead-off man and centerfielder Adam Eaton was reinstated from a stint on the disabled list prior to Sunday’s finale against the Astros. For now he will be the one to fill Abreu’s spot on the active roster. It is good news for the White Sox to have Eaton back. Losing their best and most prolific hitter, however, certainly put a damper on Eaton’s return and the future of the White Sox, at least for the next 15 days.