One of the last cuts in Blue Jays' camp earns Player of the Week award in Triple-A

It hasn't been the start to the season that the Toronto Blue Jays or their fans were expecting. They started the season with three wins against the Athletics, but then lost two of three to the Colorado Rockies and were swept by the Chicago White Sox. Things didn't improve in the World Series rematch after the Los Angeles Dodgers won the first game 14-2 on Monday (Apr. 6)

The Blue Jays have struggled across the board: pitching, hitting, and fielding. It doesn't help that the injury bug has run rampant. Pitchers Shane Bieber, José Berríos, Trey Yesavage, and Yimi García have started the season on the injury list. Then Cody Ponce left in his first start with an ACL injury, and now Max Scherzer had to leave his last start early.

Toronto may have Eloy Jiménez on their radar very soon

On the offensive side, Alejandro Kirk took a foul tip off his thumb, forcing the team leader to undergo surgery and putting him out for three to six weeks. Addison Barger exited the finale against the White Sox with ankle discomfort and was added to the 10-day injury list retroactive to April 6.

The Blue Jays' offense ranks 23rd in MLB in runs (36), 16th in batting average (.231), and 18th in OPS (.661). If Barger misses time, the team may need to turn to a player who was red-hot in Spring Training and has continued to hit in Triple-A. That player is Eloy Jiménez. In Spring Training, he slashed .286/.333/.524 with two home runs, five runs, and three knocked in.

Despite his strong preseason, he was a long shot to make the team with the plethora of outfield options on the team. While with the Buffalo Bisons, Jiménez has continued to be a hot bat. In 28 plate appearances, he's hit .375/.429/.542 with a home run, two runs, five RBIs, and an impressive .970 OPS. The start has earned the 29-year-old the Player of the Week award.  

With Barger out, the Blue Jays need someone to jumpstart their offense, which makes Jiménez the player to watch, although Tyler Fitzgerald is the one who got called up. Jiménez hasn't had an MLB at-bat since 2024, but this may be the season to revitalize a once-promising career.

He hit 31 home runs in his rookie season in 2019. His power dipped over the next few seasons, but he fluctuated between having good seasons and bad seasons. In 2022, he was worth 1.9 bWAR and slashed .295/.358/.500 with an OPS of .858 in 84 games.

But that's where the other issue with Jiménez lies is that every time he seemed to be getting on a role, injuries would derail his momentum and then he would struggle. Maybe now, with some more maturity, and a realization that he probably doesn't have a ton of opportunities left, Jiménez is getting back to his old self. It's only one week, but it's a good start, and the big league club has already shown how bad things can get from one week to the next.