Leo Jiménez is furthering his case to remain in the big leagues

With so many holes to fill to make the Toronto Blue Jays a competitive team again in 2025, the emergence of Leo Jiménez has opened up the possibility of dealing Bo Bichette this offseason to fill some other glaring needs.

Signed as an international free agent out of Panama in July 2017, the now 23-year-old Jiménez has acquitted himself well since making his MLB debut on July 4. Filling in for the injured Bichette, he’s played 229.2 innings at shortstop, with a DRS of +1, along with 51.2 innings at second base, where he also has a DRS of +1. His OAA of -3 at short suggests room for improvement; he’s a +1 OAA at 2B.

In 36 games and 103 at bats, he’s slashing .233/.314/.408 with a .722 OPS (OPS+ 104) and wRC+ of 105. He’s hit 9 doubles, 3 home runs and has 10 RBI in that short sample. If he can cut down on his 32% strikeout rate and build on his .328 BABIP, that’s more than adequate offence if he’s able to provide defensive stability in the middle infield.

He was the No. 4 ranked prospect in Jays Journal’s updated midseason ranking, and has certainly taken advantage of the opportunity created by Bichette’s injury, the Isiah Kiner-Falefa injury and subsequent trade, and fellow top prospect Orelvis Martinez’s 80-game PED suspension.

It hasn’t been a smooth progression to the big leagues for Jiménez: he struggled through injury-shortened seasons in both 2021 and 2022 with shoulder and hand injuries, after working out at a facility near his home in Panama in 2020 during the pandemic shutdown.

But things started to come together last year with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats; he was named an an Eastern League All-Star, and hit .287 with 15 doubles, 8 home runs, 44 RBI, and an .808 OPS prior to his August 29 promotion to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.

After slashing .271/.416/.431 with an .847 OPS and 7 home runs in 57 games for Buffalo this year, Jiménez was called up on July 2 when Kiner-Falefa went on the 10-day IL with a left knee sprain. And he’s run with the opportunity, showing line drive and gap power with those 9 doubles and 3 homers, while making the routine plays in the field.

The scouting report from Baseball America (subscription required) says, “Jimenez does not wow with loud tools or flashy play, but he’s an instinctual, disciplined ballplayer. He employs a simple swing with a direct path and average bat speed… Jimenez shows sneaky power, but it’s mostly in the form of line drives… His underlying exit velocity data is above-average for his age, with a 88.5 mph average and a 90th percentile EV of 104.2… He shows an average arm at shortstop, but his quick release and good internal clock allow him to make a majority of plays. Jimenez may end up at second base due to the limitations of his arm.”

If he continues his steady play, he’s certainly strengthening the case for regular playing time in the starting lineup. And that might allow the Blue Jays to deal from a position of strength in the middle infield to fill other needs at catcher, starting pitching depth, at least two power bats, and a fully reconstructed bullpen.

The bullpen has clearly been an Achilles’ heel of this team, and after giving up another 3 home runs on Wednesday, Toronto relievers have allowed a league worst 75 round trippers this year, 9 more than the next worst team.

While Jiménez can’t help keep balls from leaving the ballpark, he can provide a steady bat and glove up the middle for a Toronto team that has seen six different players at second base and four different players at shortstop in 2024. As he furthers his case to stick in the big leagues as a regular, the Blue Jays may have ninety-nine problems, but Leo ain’t one.