A.J. Jimenez
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Position:
C
Born:
05/01/90
Height:
6'0"
Weight:
225
B/T:
R/R
Acquired:
Signed as a minor league free agent on February 17, 2017 (TEX). Originally drafted in the ninth round of the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft (TOR).
Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
| Hitting .245 in 51 games at Round Rock (Triple-A) with seven home runs and 16 RBIs. |
Info & MLB Debut Date
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Contract purchased from Round Rock on September 1 when rosters expanded. MLB Debut Date: 09/06/17 |
Debut Details
| September 6, in a 12-8 win against the Braves in the first game of a doubleheader. Pinch-hitting for starting pitcher Austin Bibens-Dirkx in the seventh inning, he was 0-for-1. In the top of the seventh, with one on and one out, facing left-handed reliever Ian Krol, he hit into a 6-4-3 double play. |
Player Notes
| Originally drafted out of high school in Puerto Rico by the Jays, Jimenez finally made it to the majors in his 10th pro season. Injuries have stalled a promising career that in a more perfect world would have welcomed him to the big leagues long before this. In 2012, the year he became 40-man eligible, he was indeed added to the Toronto 40-man despite undergoing Tommy John surgery while at New Hampshire (Double-A). The next summer he was named to the 2013 World Team at the MLB Futures Game and was expected to be called up to the big leagues that September when rosters expanded, however his rebuilt elbow was tweaky. He was injured again in 2015, this time undergoing wrist surgery and spending just 28 games between New Hampshire and Buffalo (Triple-A). He hit .241 with four home runs and 28 RBIs in 67 games at Buffalo in 2016, his swan song with Toronto, but has found new life with the Rangers. |