Eloy Jimenez is hurt again, and John Schneider just lost another possible Blue Jays bat before it could really re-enter the picture.
Buffalo placed Jimenez on the 7-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to June 23. That alone would be a minor-league note in most cases, but Toronto's offense does not have the luxury of ignoring extra right-handed depth right now.
The timing is what makes it sting. Jimenez last played on June 14, and he left that game in the 5th inning after going 1-for-1 with a double and a walk.
That matters because this was supposed to be another chance for him to push back into the conversation. The Blue Jays brought Jimenez back on a minor-league deal last month after already cycling him through the organization earlier in the season.
Toronto has seen this pattern before with him. Jimenez reached the majors in April when George Springer went on the injured list, then lost his roster spot once Springer returned and later cleared waivers before electing free agency.
The club still circled back because the upside has not completely disappeared. Jimenez hit .286 with a .857 OPS and 6 extra-base hits in spring training, enough to keep the idea alive that there might still be a useful bat in there.
Toronto keeps getting the same Eloy Jimenez problem
That problem is availability. Jimenez is still only 29, and the raw ability that once made him a major middle-of-the-order name is why teams keep taking another look. But none of it matters much when he cannot stay on the field.
For the Blue Jays, this lands as more than a Buffalo update because their lineup has spent long stretches searching for offense from the margins. A healthy Jimenez at least offered one more experienced right-handed option if Toronto needed a quick call-up.
Now that possibility is back on hold. And that is the part that keeps making Jimenez such a frustrating depth play. Every time there seems to be a lane, his status changes before the bat gets a real chance to force the issue.
This is also why it is hard to count on him as a trade-deadline alternative from within. Toronto can like the idea of Jimenez, but roster planning in late June and July has to be built around players who are actually available.
That does not mean the Blue Jays should completely close the book. Minor-league depth matters, and power bats are worth tracking when they get healthy.
But right now, Jimenez is not a solution waiting in Buffalo. He is another injured name on a club that has already had too many of them, and that makes Toronto's search for offense feel a little thinner again.
Should the Blue Jays keep viewing Eloy Jimenez as a real depth option?
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