Blue Jays Re-Sign Eloy Jimenez on Minor League Deal

This article takes a look at the Toronto Blue Jays’ choice to take a low-risk gamble on former All-Star slugger Eloy Jiménez. They signed him to a minor-league contract and gave him an invite to Major League spring training.

Jiménez was once one of baseball’s most feared young power hitters. Now, he’s fighting to revive a career that injuries have repeatedly derailed.

The move says something about the Blue Jays’ roster strategy. It also raises the question: does Jiménez have enough left to matter at the big-league level?

A Low-Risk Bet on Former Stardom

The Blue Jays don’t shy away from speculative depth moves, and the Jiménez signing fits that pattern. Toronto brought the 29-year-old outfielder back on a minor-league deal, giving him another chance to prove himself in big-league camp after a short stint in the organization late last season.

Jiménez first signed with Toronto at the end of August and played in six games for Triple-A Buffalo. He posted a .508 OPS across 21 plate appearances, which wasn’t great, but the Jays apparently saw enough to give him another shot.

Minor-League Numbers Tell a Mixed Story

During the 2024 season, split between the Blue Jays’ and Rays’ farm systems, Jiménez hit .247/.326/.347 in 215 plate appearances. His on-base skills looked decent, but the power—his old calling card—mostly disappeared.

Jiménez didn’t appear in the majors at all last season. That’s a pretty stark contrast to where his career once seemed headed.

From Franchise Cornerstone to Question Mark

Jiménez once looked like a franchise-defining bat. After signing a six-year, $43 million extension with the Chicago White Sox before his MLB debut, he made an immediate impact.

Between 2019 and 2023, Jiménez hit .275/.324/.487 with 89 home runs in 1,777 plate appearances. Pitchers definitely respected his ability to punish mistakes, especially to the pull side.

Injuries Changed Everything

The issue was never his talent—it’s his health. Jiménez hasn’t played more than 122 games in a season since his rookie year in 2019.

Soft-tissue injuries have kept interrupting any momentum he tried to build. The 2024 season was especially rough. He battled both an adductor strain and a hamstring injury, slashing just .238/.289/.336 over 349 plate appearances.

The White Sox traded him to the Orioles at the deadline. Baltimore then declined his $16.5 million club option for 2025 not long after.

A Winding Road Back to Toronto

After the Orioles let him go, Jiménez signed a minor-league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays last winter. That stint didn’t last. Ongoing injuries and lackluster production led to his release in July.

Toronto stepped in, seeing Jiménez as a possible reclamation project with some upside.

Why the Blue Jays Are Interested

Even with poor surface numbers, some advanced metrics offer a bit of hope. Jiménez still posts solid hard-hit rates and respectable exit velocities. Maybe the raw power isn’t totally gone.

From the Blue Jays’ angle, the appeal’s pretty clear:

Minimal financial risk

Veteran depth for spring training

A chance to find value if he can stay healthy

What’s at Stake This Spring

Spring training looms large for Jiménez. If he shows better mobility and flashes that old power, he might just force his way into the roster picture—either in Toronto or as a trade chip for another team hungry for right-handed pop.

Even if he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster, a strong spring could get him an opt-out clause or open another door somewhere else. Nothing’s guaranteed, but a hot start tends to get noticed.

At 29, Eloy Jiménez isn’t a prospect anymore, but calling him a lost cause feels premature. For the Blue Jays, this is one of those low-risk, maybe-high-reward moves that’s hard to pass up. For Jiménez, honestly, it’s probably one of his last real shots to show there’s still some of that feared slugger left under the injuries.

 
Here is the source article for this story: Blue Jays Re-Sign Eloy Jimenez To Minor League Deal