Blue Jays Sign Silver Slugger Amid Injury Woes

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Hugh Green | Last updated May 22, 2026 3:59 PM ET

The Toronto Blue Jays have had an up-and-down season in 2026, as they are currently in third place in the American League East with a 23-26 record. Much of the team's struggles this year have been due to the number of injuries it has dealt with.

Toronto has had many of its star players shelved at several points this year. This includes catcher Alejandro Kirk, right fielders Addison Barger and Nathan Lukes and starting pitchers Max Scherzer, Jose Berrios and Shane Bieber, who are all currently on the injured list.

With these injuries, manager John Schneider and the Blue Jays have had a tough time defending their American League pennant from last season.

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider © Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

With the injuries stacking up, some help is on its way to Toronto in the form of Eloy Jimenez, who spent time with the Blue Jays earlier in the season and is now re-signing with the team on a minor-league deal, according to The Athletic's Mitch Bannon.

"Eloy Jiménez is returning to the #BlueJays on a minor-league deal, source tells @Ken_Rosenthal and I," Bannon said. "He hit .290 in 12 games with the Jays earlier this year, and elected FA."

Eloy Jiménez is returning to the #BlueJays on a minor-league deal, source tells @Ken_Rosenthal and I.

He hit .290 in 12 games with the Jays earlier this year, and elected FA.
— Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) May 22, 2026

Jimenez had 35 at-bats for Toronto from April 12-28, batting .290 with an OPS of .633 and three RBIs. Before this season, his last major-league appearances came in 2024 with the Baltimore Orioles, where he played 100 games after being traded from the Chicago White Sox.

Over seven years between the White Sox, Orioles and Blue Jays, Jimenez has slashed .269/.319/.459 with a .778 OPS, 95 home runs and 301 RBIs in 546 games. He finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2019 and was a Silver Slugger recipient during the 2020 season with Chicago.

While he has not officially been added to the major-league roster yet, the Blue Jays could use some extra help in their lineup, which has been riddled with ailments all season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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