Eloy Jimenez one of five Toronto Blue Jays free-agent signings

By: The Canadian Press Posted: 3:48 PM CST Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026

TORONTO - Designated hitter Eloy Jimenez was one of five free agents the Toronto Blue Jays signed to minor-league contracts on Wednesday, giving them invites to the team's major-league spring training camp.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/01/2026 (280 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO – Designated hitter Eloy Jimenez was one of five free agents the Toronto Blue Jays signed to minor-league contracts on Wednesday, giving them invites to the team’s major-league spring training camp.

Infielders Carlos Mendoza and Rafael Lantigua as well as left-handed pitcher Michael Plassmeyer and right-hander Jorge Alcala were also signed.

The 29-year-old Jimenez split the 2025 season between the Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays organizations, batting .247 over 54 combined minor-league games with 13 extra-base hits and 30 runs batted in.

Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Eloy Jiménez (72) in the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Jimenez signed with the Chicago Cubs as an international free agent in 2013, eventually making his MLB debut with the Chicago White Sox in 2019.

The six-foot-four, 250-pound right-handed hitter has suited up for 534 career Major League games between the White Sox and Baltimore Orioles with a career .269 average and 95 home runs.

He finished fourth in American League rookie of the year voting in 2019 and won a Silver Slugger Award in 2020.

Mendoza, 26, appeared in 97 games last season between the Detroit Tigers’ double-A and triple-A squads, batting .287 with 25 extra-base hits and 41 RBIs.

Lantigua, 27, appeared in 125 games with Philadelphia’s triple-A affiliate last season, batting .230 with 15 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, and 56 RBIs.

Plassmeyer, 29, spent the 2025 season with the Texas Rangers’ triple-A team, going 9-4 with a 4.43 ERA over 28 games.

Alcala, 30, split the 2025 season between the Minnesota Twins, the Boston Red Sox, and the St. Louis Cardinals, appearing in 56 games while posting a 6.22 ERA.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 14, 2026.