The Toronto Blue Jays’ off-season is far from over.
It stands to reason that the Jays will add a bat and a high-leverage reliever in their bullpen at the very least. However, with their addition of Chase Lee, the Blue Jays 40-man roster is now full.
There are several players who could be designated for assignment, but there are two players who don’t have options for the 2026 season, Tommy Nance and Leo Jiménez. That latter will be the topic of today’s article, because what can the Blue Jays do with the 24-year-old?
What to do with Leo Jiménez
At one point, Jiménez was a top 10 Blue Jays prospect, and you can argue even a top five prospect in the system. His 2021 season was hampered due to injury to begin the year, but when healthy, he slashed .315/.517/.381 with a home run in 242 plate appearances with the Jays’ Single-A team. Yes, he reached base over half the time.
That prompted the Blue Jays to add Jiménez to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, a draft that never happened due to the brief lockout during the 2021/22 off-season. At that point, the highest level Jiménez played at was Single-A, and he had one career home run. His power totals jumped to six the following season, but Jiménez missed a chunk of the 2022 season injured. Jiménez’s home run total increased to eight in 2023, as he had a relatively healthy season playing in Double-A, and then Triple-A at the end of the season.
The 2024 season saw Jiménez get off to a great start in Triple-A, slashing .271/.416/.431 with seven home runs in 226 plate appearances. Paired with the Blue Jays struggling in 2024, Jiménez got a long look with the team, where he slashed .229/.329/.358 with four home runs in 210 plate appearances for a 101 wRC+. He was one of just five players who hit above average for the Jays in 2024, at least in terms of wRC+.
Because of all those injuries earlier in his career, Jiménez received an additional option year. But once again, Jiménez missed significant time in 2025 due to injury, receiving just 99 plate appearances in the minor leagues, and another 32 plate appearances with the Blue Jays. His lone home run came in a game against the Athletics in July, as he spent the entire month on the 26-man roster.
The Jays won’t get the benefit of an additional option year for the 2026 season, meaning that if the Jays wish to start Jiménez with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, he’ll have to be designated for assignment. Jiménez is surely further down the depth chart than other players, so there’s a strong chance that’s the plan for him.
If designated for assignment, any of the other 29 teams could claim him. There’s potential that Jiménez would go unclaimed, as his tenure with the Jays in 2025 was rough, on top of missing a large part due to injury. Still, the Jays risk losing infield depth for nothing.
The other option is to trade him. Not only would the Jays get something back, but it’d also give the 24-year-old an opportunity to make a big league roster, something he probably won’t get with the Blue Jays. They have a ton of infield depth and a few guys ahead of him on the chart.
There’s always a chance that this could come back to haunt the Jays. That’s the case with Otto López (to an extent). Before the 2024 season, López was designated for assignment, then traded to the San Francisco Giants for cash. He then got an opportunity with the Miami Marlins in 2024, slashing .270/.313/.377 with six home runs in 434 plate appearances while providing strong defence at second base.
López had another solid season in 2025, hitting a career-high 16 home runs in 594 plate appearances, while being a plus defender at both shortstop and second base. Basically, this was the inverse of his scouting profile, as he projected to be a good hitter with speed.
Do the Blue Jays miss López? Probably not, as they were just two outs away from a World Series, but he’d be a great bench bat for the team. By letting go of Jiménez, the Jays run that same risk.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.