Leo Jimenez DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Leo Jimenez (illness) was scratched from Friday's lineup due to an illness. He was replaced by infield prospect Arjun Nimmala. Fantasy managers should monitor Jimenez's status over the weekend as he may need additional time to recover. Last summer, the 23-year-old made his MLB debut. He held a .229/.329/.358 line with four home runs across 63 contests. He generated a modest .228 xBA with a low 5.7 percent walk rate. Earlier in the summer, Jimenez posted a solid .271/.416/.431 line with eight doubles, seven home runs, with three swiped bags across 57 contests. When healthy, fantasy managers should expect Jimenez to compete for a depth role in the infield. However, if he has a poor showing in camp, he could be on the outside of the Opening Day roster and begin the season at Triple-A.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jonatan Clase and infielder Leo Jimenez will both start on the bench on Saturday against the visiting Miami Marlins at Rogers Centre. Fellow rookie Joey Loperfido will make the start in center field and will bat ninth, while Ernie Clement starts at the 6 and bats sixth against Marlins right-hander Xzavion Curry. Clase came to the Blue Jays via trade at the deadline at the end of July from the Mariners and has looked good in the early going in his six games with the team, going 6-for-16 (.375) with a homer, double and to RBI. However, the 22-year-old will take a seat after going hitless in four at-bats on Friday with two strikeouts. Jimenez has been forced into plenty of playing time in 2024 in his rookie campaign due to Bo Bichette's injuries and has slashed .229/.329/.358 with only four home runs and 19 RBI in 63 games played. Clement will be a low-upside DFS sleeper for Saturday's action.

Toronto Blue Jays rookie shortstop Leo Jimenez (knee) will draw out of the starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the Cincinnati Reds at the Rogers Centre. Ernie Clement will start at shortstop for the Jays and will hit seventh against Reds right-hander Julian Aguiar, who will be making his major-league debut. It's the second straight game that Jimenez will miss after injuring his knee on Saturday. Continue to consider the 23-year-old day-to-day for now. Jimenez has been gifted regular playing time at the 6 for the Blue Jays in his first MLB season with Bo Bichette (calf) on the shelf, but he has basically been a non-factor with the bat, slashing .221/.303/.368 with only two home runs, seven RBI and 11 runs scored in 34 games played. Clement enters Monday's contest with a .268/.287/.405 slash line with seven homers, 36 RBI and eight steals in his 299 at-bats in 2024.