Blue Jays beat reporter throws cold water on Eloy Jimenez's hot spring start

It always has to be said that Spring Training stats need to be taken with a grain of salt. Some hitters arrive in camp hitting absolute bombs, and look like they are going to go on to have monster season's but the majority of the damage their doing is coming off minor league pitchers. It's not always the case, but it happens every year and there's another case of that taking place this year in Dunedin.

One of the best stories in camp so far this spring is seeing the reclamation of Eloy Jiménez finding his groove at the plate again. The 29-year-old right-handed hitter has put together a .310/.375/.517 slash line with one home run in 12 games through Tuesday (Mar. 10). Those are great numbers for someone who hasn't played a full season in the big leagues since 2023. He got into 98 games in 2024, spending time with Chicago and Baltimore, but struggled to a .238/.289/.336 slash line, then missed most of 2025, playing in 54 minor league games with the Tampa Bay Rays and Blue Jays Triple-A squads.

However, Blue Jays beat reporter Ben Nicholson-Smith has doused Jiménez's hot start somewhat by reminding us all about the reality of spring numbers. In an article for Sportsnet about Spring Training myths, Nicholson-Smith says one of those myths is seeing a former star about to have a bounce back season.

Blue Jays beat reporter throws cold water on Eloy Jimenez's hot spring start

He wrote, "Remember Curtis Granderson leading the team in spring homers back in 2018? Or Joe Panik hitting .364 in 2020? How about Greg Bird’s epic spring in 2022? And Joey Votto homering off Zack Wheeler two years later? It’s always fun to dream about a veteran who’s about to recapture the magic."

He adds, that this years version of that story is potentially Jiménez. A former top prospect in all of baseball, Jiménez has had his stock drop significantly, ever since his debut season. In 2019, he burst onto the scene as a 22-year-old who hit 31 home runs with an .828 OPS and 115 wRC+. Over the next few years he was never able to quite recapture everything that made him such a tantalizing prospect, but there were still flashes of greatness mixed in with some ill-timed injuries.

And while Nicholson-Smith says he's an intriguing player, he adds, "But around baseball many established players are looking for the bounce back and some of them — Mike Yastrzemski with Atlanta, Santiago Espinal with the Dodgers — are also having huge springs. Not all of them will see that production translate to the MLB level."

Still, the Blue Jays remain optimistic that Jiménez can bring some of that north when the season begins. He has a bit of an inside track based on his handedness. The Blue Jays have an abundance of outfielders who are left-handed. Daulton Varsho, Addison Barger and Jesús Sánchez figure to be the staples, at least against right-handed pitching. Another left-hander, Nathan Lukes, had a strong 2025 campaign, but is off to a slow spring start and isn't considered a major upgrade over any of the first three mentioned. There's also Myles Straw, another right hander, who is more of a glove first guy, and constantly mentioned as a great clubhouse presence.

However, Jiménez has been limited in his defensive appearances this spring. Playing one game at first base, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. playing in the World Baseball Classic, and getting a few innings in left field. He's mostly been in the lineup as a DH, and even that seems like it could be a crowded area in Toronto. George Springer figures to get the most starts there, especially in the absence of Anthony Santander, who is on the shelf until much later in the season.

So the pathway to playing time isn't exactly clear for Jiménez in Toronto. He could be a platoon partner with Sánchez, however that means one of Lukes or Straw won't make the team, unless the Blue Jays want to carry six outfielders, and that's not even including Davis Schneider in this group. Jiménez could also be a back up at DH/1B - but with both Springer and Guerrero being right-handed hitters, the playing time could be scarce there as well.

Regardless, if Jiménez continues to hit well in Spring Training the Blue Jays will find a way to get him some playing time in Toronto if they think he can help them win.