Marlins Designate Leo Jiménez For Assignment

The Marlins announced that they have recalled infielder Deyvison De Los Santos and designated fellow infielder Leo Jiménez for assignment. Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reported the moves prior to the official announcement.

The Fish acquired Jiménez from the Blue Jays at the start of this season, after Toronto had designated him for assignment. Miami sent prospect Dub Gleed and $250K worth of international bonus pool space north of the border to complete that pick-up.

That’s surely a deal the Marlins would like back, as Jiménez hasn’t been able to take advantage of his opportunities in Miami. He has appeared in 66 games this year and stepped to the plate 194 times. His 9.3% walk rate and 19.6% strikeout rate are both decent figures but he has a .199/.306/.259 line and a 65 wRC+. That is held back somewhat by a .244 batting average on balls in play but he also has just two home runs.

To make matters worse, Jiménez hasn’t been great in the field either. He has split his time between all four infield positions but has mostly been at second and third base. At the hot corner, he has made four throwing errors, contributing to grades of minus-5 from both Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average at that position.

Jiménez was once a notable prospect with the Jays but he exhausted his final option season in 2025. That led to him getting pushed off the Toronto roster at the end of spring training. His stock was still high enough for him to have some trade value but he has worn out his welcome with the Marlins as well. Since the trade deadline has passed, he will have to be placed on waivers in the coming days.

From 2023 to 2025, he took 735 trips to the plate on the farm. He only hit 15 homers but his 11.4% walk rate and 16.3% strikeout rate were both good figures, helping him produce a .274/.386/.406 line and 121 wRC+. Getting anywhere close to that kind of production in the majors would make him a useful player, especially with his defensive versatility. For what it’s worth, this year’s hard hit rate and average exit velocity are a bit above average, according to Statcast.

Perhaps some club out there will bet on the minor league numbers and put in a claim. If not, Jiménez would stick with the Marlins. Since he doesn’t have a previous career outright and is shy of three years of big league service time, he would not have the right to elect free agency. But if he’s not added back to the roster by season’s end, he would qualify for minor league free agency as a guy with at least seven years in the minors.