Chicago White Sox designated hitter Yermín Mercedes will miss the start of the season with a left hand injury.
The Dominican has a fracture in the hamato, according to a CT scan performed on Friday. The team reported that Mercedes will undergo surgery on Monday and his expected recovery time will be six to eight weeks.
The 29-year-old Mercedes was one of the hottest hitters in baseball early last season, posting a .415 ERA with five homers and 16 RBI in 22 games in April.
The player caused the displeasure of manager Tony La Russa, enshrined in the Hall of Fame, by hitting a home run with a 3-0 count to a Twins position player, improvised as a pitcher, in the ninth inning of the meeting that the Twins The White Sox beat Minnesota 16-4 on May 17.
Mercedes eventually fizzled out in hitting, hitting .150 (16-for-107) in his last 31 games with Chicago before he was traded to Triple-A Charlotte on July 2.
After being relegated to the minors, Mercedes announced that he was leaving baseball, but returned to the Knights a day later.