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

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)

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.

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.