Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jonatan Clase and infielder Leo Jimenez will both start on the bench on Saturday against the visiting Miami Marlins at Rogers Centre. Fellow rookie Joey Loperfido will make the start in center field and will bat ninth, while Ernie Clement starts at the 6 and bats sixth against Marlins right-hander Xzavion Curry. Clase came to the Blue Jays via trade at the deadline at the end of July from the Mariners and has looked good in the early going in his six games with the team, going 6-for-16 (.375) with a homer, double and to RBI. However, the 22-year-old will take a seat after going hitless in four at-bats on Friday with two strikeouts. Jimenez has been forced into plenty of playing time in 2024 in his rookie campaign due to Bo Bichette's injuries and has slashed .229/.329/.358 with only four home runs and 19 RBI in 63 games played. Clement will be a low-upside DFS sleeper for Saturday's action.
Toronto Blue Jays rookie shortstop Leo Jimenez (knee) will draw out of the starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the Cincinnati Reds at the Rogers Centre. Ernie Clement will start at shortstop for the Jays and will hit seventh against Reds right-hander Julian Aguiar, who will be making his major-league debut. It's the second straight game that Jimenez will miss after injuring his knee on Saturday. Continue to consider the 23-year-old day-to-day for now. Jimenez has been gifted regular playing time at the 6 for the Blue Jays in his first MLB season with Bo Bichette (calf) on the shelf, but he has basically been a non-factor with the bat, slashing .221/.303/.368 with only two home runs, seven RBI and 11 runs scored in 34 games played. Clement enters Monday's contest with a .268/.287/.405 slash line with seven homers, 36 RBI and eight steals in his 299 at-bats in 2024.
The Toronto Blue Jays recalled infield prospect Leo Jimenez from the minors on Tuesday and placed utility man Isiah Kiner Falefa (knee) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to July 1) with a left-knee sprain. The team's No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, isn't in the starting lineup for Toronto on Tuesday versus the visiting Houston Astros. However, the 23-year-old could be mixed in occasionally moving forward with Kiner-Falefa on the injured list at both second and third base. Jimenez's stay in the big leagues could be on the short end, so fantasy managers in redraft leagues shouldn't break the bank for him on the waiver wire. The Panamanian middle infielder hit .271/.416/.431 with an .847 OPS, seven home runs, 23 RBI and 40 runs scored in 57 games for Triple-A in the minors this year to earn his first big-league promotion.
Toronto Blue Jays shortstop prospect Leo Jimenez has settled in quite nicely in his first extended look at Triple-A and is making a case to join the major league roster later in the summer. Over the past week, Jimenez is riding a solid .263/.417/.632 line with two long balls and an impressive 4:3 BB:K ratio. On the season, he is sporting a .237/.413/.392 line with four home runs and a 23:21 BB:K ratio. This is a big step forward as the 22-year-old posted a disappointing .190/.338/.238 line through his first taste of Triple-A ball last season. Jimenez is projected to reach the major leagues this season and is worth monitoring in AL-only formats.
Leo Jiménez
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Blue Jays
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