Former Silver Slugger winner Eloy Jimenez elected free agency and has left the Toronto Blue Jays after being recently DFA’d by the team.
With George Springer returning to the Blue Jays’ lineup this week, the team was forced to cut someone from its 26-man roster to bring their playoff hero back. The player who drew the short straw was Jimenez, who the Blue Jays designated for assignment after Springer came off the injured list. Jimenez cleared waivers after being DFA’d, and he chose to elect free agency instead, leading to him leaving the team.
The Blue Jays confirmed on Saturday that Jimenez is no longer a member of the organization.
🔹 1B/OF Eloy Jiménez has cleared waivers and elected free agency
“ROSTER MOVE: 1B/OF Eloy Jiménez has cleared waivers and elected free agency,” the Blue Jays wrote on X.
Eloy Jimenez Didn’t Hit Well for the Blue Jays
The Blue Jays signed Jimenez to a minor-league deal during the offseason, and despite a strong spring training, he was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo when the MLB season began, as he didn’t make the big-league club out of spring training.
After putting up a .744 OPS with the Bisons, the Blue Jays called up Jimenez to Toronto after Springer went down with a toe fracture. He was given 12 games with the Blue Jays and 35 at-bats with the team, but could only muster up nine singles with the team for a .633 OPS. He had no extra-base hits, which is a big problem for a DH in the MLB. When Springer returned to the Blue Jays this week, the team had to let someone go, and it turned out to be Jimenez.
While the team would have likely loved for him to head back to Buffalo and be injury insurance later in the season, Jimenez will instead head back to the free-agent market in search of a new deal with another major-league team.
What’s Next for Eloy Jimenez?
The 29-year-old Jimenez was once a top outfield prospect for the Chicago White Sox, and he had by far his best year in 2020, when he won a Silver Slugger award in the American League as one of the AL’s top-three hitting outfielders. That year, Jimenez bashed 14 home runs in just 55 games during the COVID-19 shortened season, putting up an impressive .891 OPS in the process.
That turned out to be the best season of Jimenez’s career, as he never quite reached those lofty heights again. After six seasons in Chicago, he was traded to Baltimore at the 2024 trade deadline and struggled for his new team. Jimenez then sat out the entire 2025 season from the MLB as he couldn’t find a job, before signing with the Blue Jays this year on a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training. While he performed well in February and March for his new team, it wasn’t enough to land him a spot on the team. The injury to Springer saw him get a call-up, but he didn’t perform well.
Considering any team could have claimed Jimenez on waivers, and he makes the league minimum, it doesn’t bode well for his chances to find another major-league contract with another squad. Nevertheless, he will take his chances and hope another squad finds a reason to sign him instead of sticking around in the Blue Jays’ minor-league system. The Mets are rumored to be a good fit, so we’ll see if he ends up in New York.
Former Silver Slugger Winner Elects Free Agency, Leaves Blue Jays