The Blue Jays and outfielder/designated hitter are in agreement on a minor league contract, by Mike Rodriguez. The Klutch Sports client was with the Rays organization earlier this season but was cut loose around the All-Star break. Jimenez, 28, was a top prospect with the Cubs and White Sox and looked to be emerging as a core piece for the latter when he debuted with a 31-homer rookie campaign back in 2019. The slugger signed a six-year, $43MM contract before ever taking a single at-bat in the majors, and that impre sive rookie effort made the contract look like a potential bargain. Unfortunately for Jimenez and the South Siders, injuries derailed his trajectory. Jimenez was again excellent in 2020, hitting .296/.332/.559 with 14 homers in the pandemic-shortened season, but hes struggled to stay on the field since. From 2021-24, Jimenez played in just 357 games only 55% of his teams contests. A ruptured pectoral tendon cost him more than four months of the 2021 season. He mi sed nearly three months Ryan Feltner Jersey of the 2022 season due to a torn hamstring. In 2023, he strained his other hamstring muscle and also mi sed more than a month due to an appendectomy. Jimenezs 2024 season was cut short by an adductor strain and a third hamstring strain. Beyond limiting Jimenezs time on the field, the series of health i sues clearly had an impact on his offensive output. He was terrific in 84 games in 2022 but posted roughly league-average offense in both 2021 and 2023. His 2024 season was well below average, with the formerly imposing slugger turning in a meek .238/.289/.336 slash in 349 plate appearances between the White Sox and the Orioles, who acquired him at last summers trade deadline. Jimenez appeared in 40 Triple-A games with the Rays this season, hitting .278/.335/.397 with three home runs. He continued to show quality contact skills (17.4% strikeout rate), but his batted-ball metrics were well shy of his career marks in the majors. Jimenez averaged 89.6 mph off the bat in Triple-A Durham and logged a 43.5% hard-hit rate. Hes averaged 91.5 mph with a 49.3% hard-hit rate as a big leaguer. Though Jimenez is something of a long shot to contribute at this point, theres no harm in the Jays taking a no-risk look at a formerly prominent slugger on a non-guaranteed pact. He might need a quick tune-up in the low minors before jumping into the fray at Triple-A Buffalo, having been out of action for seven-plus weeks, but Jimenez will be a depth option for Toronto in the final month of the season. And, since hes signing before Sept. 1, hell be postseason-eligible should he show enough to be selected to the big league roster at some point. If not, hell play out the season in Buffalo and head back to the offseason free agent market in search of what would surely be another minor league contract ahead of his age-29 campaign in 2026. Kris Bryant Jersey