ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 22: Eloy Jimenez #74 of the Toronto Blue Jays reacts as he returns to the bench for a pinch runner after his single during a 7-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 22, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
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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.
Toronto Blue Jays Cut Ties With 30-HR Slugger Looking For Comeback
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.”
Toronto Blue Jays Cut Former Silver Slugger Amid Career Decline
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.
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