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Blue Jays 2026 40-man Roster Review: Injuries hampered Andrés Giménez’s 2025 season
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Photo credit: © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jan 23, 2026, 09:30 ESTUpdated: Jan 23, 2026, 11:26 EST
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Last off-season, the Toronto Blue Jays traded for their shortstop of the future.
This is Blue Jays Nation’s annual 40-man roster review ahead of the new season. If you missed the most recent article, we looked at Tyler Rogers. In this article, we’ll look at Andrés Giménez.
On Dec. 10, 2024, the Jays traded Spencer Horwitz and prospect Nick Mitchell to the Cleveland Guardians for reliever Nick Sandlin and second baseman Andrés Giménez. Horwitz was later traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, while Sandlin was outrighted earlier this off-season. As for Giménez, he had an interesting season.
The second baseman has always been known for his glove. In the three years before the trade, Giménez was the American League’s Gold Glove winner at second base, and he even won the Platinum Glove in 2023. He didn’t win in 2025 despite being nominated, but that was due in large part to an injury-filled season
On the flip side, his bat has always been lacking, well, except for his first full season in the big leagues. In 2022, Giménez slashed .297/.371/.466 with 17 home runs in 557 plate appearances for a 141 wRC+ and 6.1 fWAR, finishing sixth in MVP voting. He declined from there, posting a 96 wRC+ and 3.8 fWAR in 2023 then an 83 wRC+ and 2.8 fWAR in 2024.
The big question heading into 2025 was: Could the Jays unlock his 2022 form. Early in the off-season, it looked like it could be a possibility, as he hit three home runs in 22 home runs in March. However, he had an awful April, slashing .132/.216/.154 with no home runs in 102 plate appearances from Apr. 1 until May 1, giving him a 9 wRC+ in that stretch.
Giménez moved to the bottom third of the lineup full-time on May 2, slashing .368/.368/.421 with a double in 19 plate appearances over his next five games. Unfortunately, he hit the injured list and missed nearly a month. From Jun. 3 to Jul. 4, Giménez was a league average hitter, slashing .253/.340/.349 with two home runs in 95 plate appearances, but one again hit the injured list for a month on Jul. 6.
One of the Blue Jays’ biggest home runs of the season was hit during this stretch, as the left-handed batter took Max Fried deep on Canada Day to take a 4-2 lead. That game is also known for George Springer’s grand slam, which really kicked off the special feeling the 2025 season provided.
Giménez returned in August and managed to stay healthy for the remainder of the season, slashing .195/.260/.297 with two home runs in 131 plate appearances for a 56 wRC+. For the entirety of the season, he slashed .210/.285/.313 with seven home runs in 369 plate appearances for a career-worst 70 wRC+, with a 1.0 fWAR.
In the postseason, Giménez moved to shortstop with Bo Bichette injured, and provided strong defence. He also slashed .215/.288/.338 with two home runs in 75 plate appearances. Those two home runs came in back-to-back games, Game 3 and 4 of the American League Championship Series.
Funnily enough, it was the same scenario. The Jays fell down early in the game, the lead-off hitter in the third hit a double, and Giménez hit a two run home run. Unfortunately, he didn’t hit a third home run despite the same scenario in Game 5, a game which the Jays lost to push them to the brink. That said, that Game 3 home run arguably saved the season, as the Jays were down 2-0 in the series and trailing in a must-win Game 3.
Will Giménez ever hit like he did in 2022? Probably not, but there is a case that he’ll bounce back in 2026 if he can remain healthy. Fangraphs’ Steamer has him slashing .253/.311/.384 with 14 home runs in 526 plate appearances for a 95 wRC+ and 2.2 fWAR. That type of production will go a long way in helping the Jays push for a playoff spot, especially if Anthony Santander can bounce back as well.
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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