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Davis Schneider or Leo Jiménez, who will the Blue Jays select for the final bench spot?
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Photo credit: © Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Mar 23, 2026, 13:30 EDTUpdated: Mar 23, 2026, 12:55 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays‘ Opening Day roster is almost complete.
Needing to be announced by Friday, there are just two spots left for grabs between four players. On Monday morning, The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon reported that Chase Lee, Spencer Miles, Davis Schneider, and Leo Jiménez are all heading to Toronto, but only two will make the Opening Day roster.
Earlier on Monday, we looked at which of the two relievers, Lee and Miles, has the better chance of making the roster. In this article, we’ll do the same for the bench spot between Jiménez and Schneider.

Should the Blue Jays choose Davis Schneider or Leo Jiménez

Drafted in the 28th round of the 2017 draft, Schneider broke out in the 2022 season, and after a strong season with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in 2023, he earned a call up to the Blue Jays in early August that year.
The remainder of Schneider’s 2023 season will be remembered for years to come, as he hit a home run in his first plate appearance at Fenway Park, and ended the season slashing .276/.404/.603. Schneider had a strong start to his 2024 campaign, slashing .245/.354/.470 with seven home runs in 181 plate appearances from the start of the season until May 31st.
Unfortunately, the rest of his 2024 season was rough, as he slashed just .159/.234/.264 with six home runs in 273 plate appearances for a 43 wRC+, giving him an 80 wRC+ for the season. Schneider’s struggles continued into 2025, slashing just .067/.333/.067 over his first 21 plate appearances until he was optioned to the Bisons.
His bat didn’t particularly stand out in his return to Buffalo, but once he re-joined the Jays on June 1st, he settled in nicely to a bench role, slashing .249/.364/.468 with 11 home runs in 206 plate appearances. Schneider added a lead-off home run in Game 5 of the World Series as well.
Spoiler alert, but the fact he carved out a niche as a bench bat who could play in left field and second base should probably give him a leg up over Jiménez, but matters are a bit complicated. Why? Well, Jiménez doesn’t have option years remaining, meaning that if he does grab the final spot on the bench, he’ll need to be DFA’ed and placed on waivers.
Jiménez will surely be claimed if the Jays DFA him and can’t find a trade for him. Jiménez’s luster as a prospect has declined over the past few years, but he saw an increase in his power from 2021 until 2024, and even had a good showing on the 2024 Jays, slashing .229/.329/.358 with four home runs over 210 plate appearances. Jiménez has never played in the outfield before, but he provides strong defence at shortstop and is also capable of playing second base.
Neither Schneider nor Jiménez stood out in Spring Training. Jiménez slashed .231/.310/.231 with no home runs in 29 plate appearances, but did set a new record for maximum exit velocity. Schneider wasn’t any better, slashing .132/.277/.132 with no home runs in 47 plate appearances.
Paired with an injury-filled 2025 season, it’s hard to select Jiménez over Schneider. A big reason why this is a conversation at the moment is due to the fact Schneider has options and Jiménez doesn’t. That said, Schneider should get the final spot over Jiménez.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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