Blue Jays Cut Former Silver Slugger Immediately After Trade Deadline
The Toronto Blue Jays have released former slugger Eloy Jimenez from their Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons, ending his brief comeback attempt with the organization. Jimenez, who signed a minor league deal earlier this season, was hoping to revive a career previously marked by a Silver Slugger Award in 2020 and Rookie of the Year votes in 2019, but also by significant injuries. Despite a brief MLB call-up where he hit .290 with a .343 on-base percentage in 35 plate appearances, Jimenez failed to record any extra-base hits. This lack of power, a hallmark of his early career, ultimately led to his departure as the Blue Jays reshuffle their roster post-trade deadline, indicating he couldn't secure a lasting role.
The Toronto Blue Jays parted ways with a collection of veteran stars just before the MLB trade deadline this week, including Kevin Gausman, Daulton Varsho and Jeff Hoffman.
And on Tuesday, news surfaced that the team had also cut ties with a former standout slugger who joined the Blue Jays earlier this year with hopes of mounting a comeback and helping the team capture another American League championship.
According to the official transaction log, Eloy Jimenez was released from the Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons on Tuesday.
The move closes the book on a brief tenure in the Blue Jays organization for Jimenez, who signed a minor league contract earlier this season in hopes of reviving his major league career. Toronto took a chance on the former Chicago White Sox slugger because of the offensive upside he displayed earlier in his career — including Rookie of the Year Award votes in 2019 and a Silver Slugger Award for his 2020 campaign.
“Jimenez looked the part of a future lineup cornerstone early on, crushing 31 homers with an .828 OPS as a rookie and recording an .891 OPS in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign,” Thomas Harrigan recalled for MLB.com. “However, his final four years with Chicago were defined more by injuries than anything he did in the batter’s box. The team traded him to the Orioles in July 2024.”
Jimenez did earn a big-league call up with the Blue Jays earlier this season, but after a short stint it looks like he had fallen out of contention for a roster spot as the team reshuffled following the trade deadline.
“Jimenez, 29, appeared in a dozen games with the Jays prior to his DFA and hit .290 with a .343 on-base percentage in 35 trips to the plate,” Steve Adams wrote for MLB Trade Rumors. “That .290 average is obviously strong but lacked any teeth; Jimenez didn’t have an extra-base hit (and thus also slugged .290), and he continued to show a ground-ball approach at the plate, undercutting the plus power he once showed.”
That combination ultimately made it difficult for Jimenez to carve out a lasting role on a Blue Jays club that is going back to the drawing board on its roster construction. While his batting average remained respectable in limited action, the lack of extra-base production diminished the power profile that once made him one of the American League's most dangerous young hitters.