According to a report from Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, former Chicago White Sox slugger Eloy Jimenez is battling in spring training for a final roster spot with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The following comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal but links to the original report (subscription required):
Jimenez will enter spring training in a competition for the final bench spot on the Rays’ roster with Curtis Mead, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Jimenez signed a minor league deal with the Rays back around the Christmas holiday. He’ll make $2 million if he makes the team.
Jimenez made his major league debut with the White Sox in 2019 and instantly made an impact, clocking 31 homers and driving in 79. The White Sox inked him to an early contract extension before he even played a game with the big-league club, which was thought to be a genius move once he established himself. He also hit 14 homers in the COVID-shortened 2020 season as Chicago got to the playoffs. But then, injuries set in and he played just 55 games in 2021, 84 games in 2022, 120 games in 2023 and he played 98 last year.
Lifetime, he’s a .269 hitter with 95 home runs. He’s never come close to replicating that rookie season. The White Sox traded him to the Orioles at the trade deadline last season and Baltimore ended up putting him in Triple-A before the season ended. He did not make the O’s playoff roster.
The O’s declined their team option on him, sending him into free agency for the first time.
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