The Blue Jays introduced that infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa has been positioned on the 10-day injured listing with a left knee sprain. Infielder Leo Jimenez has been recalled in a corresponding transfer and shall be making his main league debut as quickly as he will get right into a sport.
Kiner-Falefa, 29, was a late scratch from yesterday’s sport. Supervisor John Schneider mentioned that the infielder “felt one thing” which “popped up out of nowhere” throughout his pre-game stretches, per Hazel Mae of Sportsnet on X. It’s unclear how a lot time the Jays count on him to overlook however the harm is important sufficient that he’ll require an IL stint.
Signed to a two-year deal within the offseason, IKF has been having the perfect marketing campaign of his profession up to now. He has all the time been a glove-first utility man however had hit simply .261/.314/.346 coming into the 12 months for an 81 wRC+. Although a lot has gone improper for the Jays right here in 2024, Kiner-Falefa’s deal has been a pleasant growth, as he has hit .292/.338/.420 for a wRC+ of 117. He’s achieved that whereas enjoying the three infield positions to the left of first base and one inning in middle area as effectively. His 2.0 wins above substitute are presently main the workforce, in keeping with the calculations at FanGraphs.
It’s a lower than superb growth for the Jays, who’ve fallen again within the American League playoff image. Although many contenders have been bunched up within the Wild Card race for lots of the 12 months, the Jays have slipped to 38-46, tied with the Tigers and Rangers and eight video games out of the final postseason spot. With the commerce deadline lower than a month away, the membership will want a severe sizzling streak to keep away from a summer time selloff, which shall be more durable to do with out one in all their extra productive gamers on the season. If the summer time selloff does find yourself coming to cross, there would even be an argument for promoting excessive on IKF, although that would maybe be much less probably now, relying on how issues develop within the subsequent few weeks.
Within the meantime, Jimenez will get his first name to the large leagues. A world signing out of Panama in 2017, he’s lengthy been thought-about one of many higher prospects within the Jays’ system. Baseball America has ranked him one of many prime 30 farmhands within the group since 2019, usually contemplating him a robust defender at shortstop however with a risk that he finally ends up at second base on account of his arm.
Offensively, Jimenez is taken into account extra of a line drive hitter than an influence menace however the plate self-discipline seems to be robust. He has stepped to the plate just below 1200 instances for the reason that begin of 2021 with simply 22 dwelling runs however a 12.8% stroll fee and a 16.4% strikeout fee. He’s slashed a mixed .269/.404/.401 in that point for a wRC+ of 127. That features a line of .271/.416/.431 and 129 wRC+ in 57 Triple-A video games this 12 months, with a 13.3% stroll fee and 15% strikeout fee.
Jimenez has principally performed shortstop this 12 months but in addition some second base. The Jays have Bo Bichette at quick however the keystone may very well be accessible. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has some sore fingers after being hit by a pitch and missed yesterday’s sport, so Spencer Horwitz might maybe transfer to first till Guerrero is able to return. That would go away second base open for Jimenez and Davis Schneider, although Schneider has additionally been enjoying left area this 12 months.
Although that is his first name to the large leagues, Jimenez was really added to the 40-man roster again in November of 2021 to maintain him out of the Rule 5 draft. Meaning he’s in his last possibility 12 months and shall be out of choices by subsequent season. Given his stable profile, he’ll probably be ticketed for a job on subsequent 12 months’s workforce. If the 2024 season finally ends up being a misplaced 12 months for the Jays, they’ll no less than use the ultimate months of the schedule to audition controllable gamers like Jimenez, Horwitz, Schneider and Addison Barger as they consider find out how to strategy constructing subsequent 12 months’s roster.
