OAKLAND, Calif. — Tony La Russa returned to one of his former managerial homes Tuesday when the White Sox began a three-game series against Oakland Athletics.

“A lot of memories,” said La Russa, who managed the A’s from 1986-95. “Of course when I was here, they didn’t have that big thing in (the) center-field (stands). Lost a lot of the view, but a lot of good memories and the ballpark hasn’t changed much.”

The Sox played in Oakland for the first time since last season’s American League wild-card series, which the A’s won in three games. The Sox are in position for a postseason return despite dealing with several major injuries.

Left fielder Eloy Jiménez was the first setback when he suffered a ruptured left pectoral tendon during a spring training game. He missed four months and has been back in the lineup since late July.

He’s appreciating every moment.

“I love it because when I was in Arizona (rehabbing), it wasn’t fun,” Jiménez said last week. “Then I come here and spend time with my boys, it’s been fun.”

He won’t forget how his teammates picked him up during his recovery.

“I felt more appreciated because I was really down in Arizona,” Jiménez said. “I was frustrated a little bit, and every time some of the guys reached me, it motivated me to come back sooner than later. It felt nice to have that support from your teammates, and that was for me and (Luis) Robert. That’s why we’re here today.”

Jiménez has a .267/.326/.496 slash line with eight home runs and 30 RBIs in 34 games entering Tuesday. He’s hitting .171 (6-for-35) in his last 10 games, but he has a .295 average with seven home runs and 27 RBIs in his last 29 games.

He’s slashing .306/.397/.661 with six homers and 28 RBIs with runners on base.

“I’m going to knock on wood because the most impressive thing he’s done is how well he’s moved,” La Russa said Tuesday. “He’s really got good life in his legs, and we monitor that every day. In the middle of the games we ask him.

“I think he feels like he can be more consistent with his at-bats. He missed four months, and little by little, he’ll get better and better. He’s got some big hits, but I just think he feels like he’s got more to do offensively. We know what his potential is. Really pleased with the way he’s moving.”

When Jiménez is locked in, he has shown the ability to hit from pole to pole.

“When I use the whole field, I see the ball better,” he said. “Sometimes when I try to pull too much, that’s when I get in trouble. That’s part of the job, use the whole field.”

Center fielder Luis Robert and catcher Yasmani Grandal followed Jiménez in returning to the lineup. Robert has six home runs, 14 RBIs and 19 runs in 21 games since returning from the injured list. Grandal is hitting .545 with five home runs and 15 RBIs since coming back.

“It’s not a surprise to me because we worked really hard every single day,” Jiménez said of their production. “When you work hard, that’s the result that you want. So that’s why it’s not surprising.”

Just as it appeared the lineup was nearing full strength, the Sox lost shortstop Tim Anderson, who has been on the injured list retroactive to Aug. 29 with a left hamstring strain.

Jiménez said without Anderson, the Sox have tried to take a similar approach to when he was gone.

“We need to battle with what we have,” Jiménez said. “I wasn’t here, and they were still winning with him in the lineup. So we just need to keep playing hard. We need him, but we need to handle what we have.

“We need to play hard. He was there for me. I’m going to be there for him.”

Jiménez’s goal for the final month of the regular season is “just keep playing hard.”

“This is not done yet,” he said. “We are 10 games up (in the division). This is not done yet. We just need to keep pushing.”