Eloy Jimenez agreed to a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays after being released by the Rays around the All-Star break. Jimenez, 28, debuted with a 31-homer rookie season in 2019 and signed a six-year, $43 million deal before his first major-league at-bat. Significant injuries from 2021–24 limited him to 357 games, including a ruptured pectoral tendon, multiple hamstring tears, an appendectomy and an adductor strain. Those setbacks reduced his offensive production, culminating in a .238/.289/.336 slash in 349 plate appearances in 2024. In Triple-A this season with the Rays, he hit .278/.335/.397 with three homers and a 17.4% strikeout rate.
Jimenez, 28, was a top prospect with the Cubs and White Sox and looked to be emerging as a core piece for the latter when he debuted with a 31-homer rookie campaign back in 2019. The slugger signed a six-year, $43MM contract before ever taking a single at-bat in the majors, and that impressive rookie effort made the contract look like a potential bargain. Unfortunately for Jimenez and the South Siders, injuries derailed his trajectory.
From 2021-24, Jimenez played in just 357 games - only 55% of his teams' contests. A ruptured pectoral tendon cost him more than four months of the 2021 season. He missed nearly three months of the 2022 season due to a torn hamstring. In 2023, he strained his other hamstring muscle and also missed more than a month due to an appendectomy.
Beyond limiting Jimenez's time on the field, the series of health issues clearly had an impact on his offensive output. He was terrific in 84 games in 2022 but posted roughly league-average offense in both 2021 and 2023. His 2024 season was well below average, with the formerly imposing slugger turning in a meek .238/.289/.336 slash in 349 plate appearances between the White Sox and the Orioles, who acquired him at last summer's trade deadline.
Collection
[
|
...
]