Catcher A.J. Jimenez has been outrighted to Triple-A by the Blue Jays after clearing waivers, the club announced (on Twitter). Jimenez, 25, was designated for assignment late in camp when the Jays claimed Jesus Montero off waivers from the Mariners. (Montero himself has since been outrighted as well.)
The Puerto Rican backstop was a ninth-round selection of Toronto back in 2008, and he worked his way up to legitimate prospect status a few years back, when the Jays hoped that he could emerge as a long-term option behind the plate. However, despite possessing solid defensive chops, Jimenez’s bat has never come around; he’s a career .247/.292/.339 batter in 366 Triple-A plate appearances, and his .251/.297/.362 slash in 459 PAs at the Double-A level is hardly a marked improvement.
Jimenez is out of minor league options, so it’s not exactly a surprise to see him clear waivers; any club that claimed him would have had to carry him on its big league roster or run him through waivers a second time before being able to send him down to, hopefully, improve the offensive component of his game. Instead, the Jays will have a chance to stash him in the upper minors for the time being.
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