With the absence of Bo Bichette, Andres Gimenez appears to be the perfect candidate to fill the shortstop void for the foreseeable future.
From 2022-2024, Gimenez was the best defender in baseball, registering 7.9 BWAR, topping teammate Daulton Varsho, who posted a 7.7 mark during that same stretch. Though he has spent the majority of his career at second base, he possesses the tools necessary to make a full-time shift to shortstop and command the Blue Jays’ infield defensively.
2025 was by far a career-worst offensively for Gimenez, though it was also his first season when injuries impacted his time on the field since becoming a full-time player for the Cleveland Guardians in 2022. Starting the year as the cleanup hitter and launching three home runs in the first five games of the season, Gimenez looked to reclaim his 2022 form, where he posted a .297 AVG and an .837 OPS, finishing sixth in MVP voting.
This stretch didn’t last, as Gimenez soon fell off a cliff offensively, dropping to the bottom of the lineup and going down with a right quad strain on May 8, 2025.
Gimenez missed about a month of action before returning to the lineup in early June, though signs of regression were apparent. His hard-hit rate dropped to 26.2% in June after sitting at a 36.8% mark through his first handful of games in May. A right ankle sprain would take Gimenez out of action once again on July 5th, requiring a five-week recovery period, returning on August 12th. This injury forced Gimenez to eliminate his noticeable leg-kick, which severely hindered his offensive output. Through the rest of August, he managed a weak 10% hard-hit rate, and his bat speed suffered, dropping to 68.7mph after being at 71mph back in May.
The Blue Jays’ week break before the postseason was much needed for Gimenez, as he appeared to have fully regained strength in his legs, hitting .267 with a pair of RBIs against the Yankees in the ALDS. He then went on to hit some of the biggest home runs during the Jays’ matchup with the Mariners in the ALCS, helping tie the series at two apiece. Overall, he managed an .842 OPS in the series and was incredibly sound defensively, becoming the full-time shortstop as Bo Bichette was left out with injury.
A look ahead to 2026
Under team control through the 2029 season with a club option for 2030, Gimenez will be the everyday shortstop, and a full healthy year could prove key to a successful 2026 season. Though he profiles as an elite second baseman defensively, his range being in the 97th percentile and fielding run value being in the 86th percentile, respectively, suggests he should adjust well to the left side of the infield. Paired with Ernie Clement up the middle, the Jays appear to have one of the best middle-infields in the game, with Clement posting the highest DWAR of any player in the game last season at 2.9.
The team also displayed a lack of speed, with George Springer leading the team with 18 stolen bases through the regular season. Gimenez’s sprint speed from 2022-2024 ranged between the 89th and 94th percentile, putting up back-to-back 30 stolen base seasons from 2023-2024. This took a drastic hit in 2025, dropping to just 12 stolen bases and ranking in the 65th percentile in sprint speed. With his legs underneath him for a full season in 2026, Gimenez could become the stolen-base threat the team has sought for many years, only boosting his overall value.
Recent signing Kazuma Okamoto will likely contribute to the middle part of the Jays’ lineup, and with the loss of Bichette, Gimenez will need to display an improved offensive output over a full season to solidify the bottom of the lineup. It seems unrealistic to expect a return to his 2022 form, though a 5 BWAR, 15 home runs, and a 96 WRC+ in 2023 would be respectable enough, given his defensive will now be maximized at shortstop.
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