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Blue Jays: Was cutting Leo Jimenez the right move?
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Photo credit: © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Tristan Morgan
Mar 26, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Mar 26, 2026, 09:04 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays unveiled their 26-man roster this afternoon ahead of Opening Day on Friday, and one decision in particular stood out: the choice to designate Leo Jiménez for assignment.
While not entirely unexpected, the move opens the door for debate about roster construction and whether the front office made the right call.
From a purely transactional standpoint, the logic is clear. Jiménez was out of minor-league options, leaving the Blue Jays with only two choices: carry him on the Opening Day roster or expose him to waivers via a DFA. That reality alone often determines a player’s fate, especially on a contending team with limited spots to fill.
Performance, too, did little to strengthen Jiménez’s case.
Across parts of the 2024 to 2025 seasons, he posted a modest .207/.303/.332 slash line over 81 games, with just five home runs. His 2025 stint was even more concerning, as he hit just .069 in 32 plate appearances, accumulating a -0.3 fWAR. Defensively, where he was once expected to provide value, he struggled to make an impact at the major-league level, posting -2 Defensive Runs Saved in limited action. While small sample sizes can be misleading, contenders like Toronto rarely gamble on players who haven’t demonstrated MLB-ready production. Add in a moderate 2026 Spring Training performance with a .231 average, and the decision becomes easier to justify.
However, the decision may reflect the Blue Jays’ priorities early in the year. 
Toronto opted to keep Spencer Miles, a Rule 5 draft pick who had to remain on the active roster or be offered back to the San Francisco Giants. In 9 2/3 innings this spring, Miles posted a 3.72 ERA but paired it with a 1.65 WHIP, suggesting some inconsistency. Still, his upside likely played a major role. For a bullpen that was perfectly average last season, ranking 15th in ERA, which already had to pitch its way to November, adding an extra arm with legit upside is likely something the Blue Jays prioritize early this year over another bench bat. 
While comparing a reliever to a middle infielder is not entirely fair, the more direct comparison lies with Davis Schneider, who secured the final bench spot and effectively closed the door on Jiménez.
Schneider’s offensive superiority made the decision significantly easier.
Since debuting in 2023, he has proven he can contribute at the major-league level, and in 2025, he posted a 127 wRC+, meaning he produced offence 27 percent better than the league-average hitter. That is exceptional for a bench player. Beyond that, Schneider maintains defensive flexibility, having played second base, third base, and left field. With Andrés Giménez, a three-time Gold Glove winner, anchoring the middle infield alongside Ernie Clement, the need for Jiménez’s glove became less pressing.
In other words, Jiménez was not just competing against himself. He was competing against a clearly more productive offensive option.
Still, there is a valid argument that the Blue Jays may have sold low.
Jiménez was once a top-five prospect in the organization as recently as 2024, valued for his advanced plate approach, contact ability, and strong arm. While injuries slowed his development, he remained a capable and versatile infielder with a relatively high floor. At just 24 years old, there is still a realistic path for him to develop into a useful MLB contributor elsewhere, and it would not be surprising to see another team claim him or the Jays trade him for another player in return.
For a team with World Series aspirations, depth, especially up the middle, can be critical. Injuries and underperformance can quickly test organizational depth over 162 games, and postseason success often hinges on contributions from unexpected players. By DFA’ing Jiménez, Toronto loses an infield asset that has had a spot on the 40-man roster since 2021 for nothing.
However, the counterargument, and likely the one driving this decision, is rooted in timing.
The Blue Jays are not a rebuilding team. They are coming off an American League pennant and are in win-now mode. In that context, every roster spot must be used to maximize immediate impact. Jiménez’s profile, particularly his offensive limitations at the major-league level, simply does not align with that goal as well as Schneider’s bat or Miles’ potential upside.
Internal depth was also factored in after Spring Training results.
Shortstop Josh Kasevich impressed this spring, boasting a 127 wRC+ while striking out less than he walked, showing off his speed (swiping three stolen bases) and positioning himself as a likely call-up option later this season. With Giménez and Clement already handling middle-infield duties, Jiménez became somewhat redundant within the organization.
If Jiménez is claimed and develops into a solid everyday player, the decision could age poorly in the same way that Otto Lopez has developed into an everyday player with the Miami Marlins. But if he remains a light-hitting utility infielder, it will be viewed as a necessary but difficult cut by a contender to finalize its roster before Opening Day.
In the end, this was not about whether Jiménez could help the Blue Jays someday. It was about whether he could help them right now. Based on both performance and the clear offensive gap between his production and Schneider’s, Toronto decided that the answer was no.

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