Eloy Jimenez is returning to the Toronto Blue Jays on a minor-league deal, after a spring training run and a Triple-A stint that included a late-season call-up tied to George Springer’s broken toe.
Toronto has found a familiar name to fill a familiar opening. The Blue Jays are bringing back outfielder and designated hitter Eloy Jimenez on a minor-league deal, with Sportsnet confirming the move on Friday.
Jimenez’s return feels like a reminder of what the organization once saw in him. and what it is trying to coax back out. He was a former top prospect and a Silver Slugger award winner. and the Blue Jays initially signed him to a minor-league deal in August 2025. That agreement was followed by another during the off-season, one that also included an invite to Blue Jays spring training.
During spring training. Jimenez looked like the bat the Blue Jays hoped to find again. hitting .286 with a .857 OPS and six extra-base hits. including two home runs. But when the season began, the plan moved to player development rather than an immediate spot in the major leagues. Jimenez started at Triple-A Buffalo.
His path back to Toronto opened in April. George Springer went on the injured list with a broken toe, and Jimenez was called up. For the window he got, it was production without flash: he posted a .290/.343/.290 slash line. When Springer returned 12 games later, Jimenez was designated for assignment.
The numbers since then explain why this deal is happening on the margins instead of with the certainty of a starting role. Jimenez was rated as high as No. 3 on the MLB top prospects list in 2019, alongside Ronald Acuna Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and he delivered early proof of his ceiling by hitting a career-high 31 home runs in his rookie season. Those peaks have been harder to sustain.
The timeline across 2025 tells the rest of the story. Jimenez struggled with injury and underperformance, spending the entire 2025 season in the minors. Even with strong spring training results. the Blue Jays still treated his return as a trial—one that keeps his bat in reach while giving them flexibility as the roster moves.
Now, the organization is restarting the same bet: that the power and promise from earlier years can be pulled back toward Toronto, even if it begins with a minor-league contract and the long road that comes with it.
Eloy Jimenez Toronto Blue Jays minor league deal George Springer broken toe Triple-A Buffalo MLB spring training Silver Slugger