Jays’ Jimenez off to hot start with Triple-A Buffalo

Eloy Jimenez is off to a scorching start at Triple-A Buffalo this season, earning the Legends Player of the Week honour.

The 29-year-old slugger is slashing .375/.429/.542 with one home run and five RBI in seven games so far this season with the Bisons. This comes after Jimenez’s strong spring where he turned in an .857 OPS with two home runs in 42 at-bats.

Jimenez’s production comes alongside a slow start for the Toronto Blue Jays’ bats at the Major-League level.

The Jays have lost four games in a row and enter play Monday tied with the Baltimore Orioles for 23rd in total runs scored. They’re also 18th in total slugging percentage (.365) and 28th in OPS with runners in scoring position (.582).

Jimenez plays primarily first base and designated hitter and did not break camp with the big club partly due to positional reasons.

A former top prospect with the Chicago White Sox, Jimenez hit 31 home runs as a rookie in 2019 and drove in 44 runs in 55 games during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, but has not returned to that level since.

He signed a minor-league deal with the Jays earlier this year after finishing last season with the Bisons.

The Jays will begin a World Series rematch Monday evening with the Los Angeles Dodgers in town for a three-game set. Max Scherzer gets the ball for Toronto Monday night against Dodgers lefty Justin Wrobleski.