Blue Jays prospect Arjun Nimmala starting FCL rehab assignment

After missing almost a month with a right hamstring injury, shortstop Arjun Nimmala is officially scheduled to begin a rehab assignment on Friday, according to the Toronto Blue Jays’ transaction log.

Nimmala will start in the Florida Complex League, marking his return after having last played on May 27 with Double-A New Hampshire. He left that game in the fourth inning after injuring his hamstring while running to first base on an infield hit.

Three days later, the organization placed Nimmala on the seven-day, minor-league injured list. He was sent for a second opinion, which revealed he’d miss several weeks. Now that he’s healthy again, the 20-year-old prospect can look to pick up where he left off once he’s cleared to rejoin the Fisher Cats.

Toronto’s No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, had been red hot at the plate prior to landing on the shelf last month. In 18 games since being promoted to Double-A, the right-handed-hitting shortstop was sporting a .308 AVG and .375 OBP, recording a hit in all but six of those contests — including five multi-hit performances.

While Nimmala didn’t showcase much power across that stretch, slugging .369 with zero home runs, that was likely a result of his 30.6 per cent line-drive rate — up 11.2 per cent from his time at High-A Vancouver earlier this season. During which, he slashed .241/.362/.483 with four home runs, 20 RBIs and a 123 wRC+ (100 league average) in 23 games.

The 2023 first-round selection remains one of the brightest young stars in the Blue Jays’ pipeline, and should he remain healthy and continue hitting well upon returning to New Hampshire, finishing the 2026 campaign in Buffalo shouldn’t be out of the question.