Toronto Blue Jays Place Isiah Kiner-Falefa on IL, Call Leo Jimenez Up For MLB Debut

With Gold Glove infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa heading to the injured list for the next 10 days, the Toronto Blue Jays have called up top prospect Leo Jimenez to take his place.

Mar 16, 2023; Sarasota, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles left fielder Franchy Cordero (16) steals second base from Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Leo Jimenez (49) in the second inning during spring training at Ed Smith Stadium. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays have placed infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa on the 10-day injured list with a left knee sprain, the team announced Tuesday afternoon.

Kiner-Falefa was a late scratch from the Blue Jays' lineup ahead of their game against the Houston Astros on Monday. He last took the field Sunday against the New York Yankees.

Toronto recalled infielder Leo Jimenez from Triple-A Buffalo to take Kiner-Falefa's place on the 26-man active roster. Jimenez, who is ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the Blue Jays' farm system, is not in the starting lineup on Tuesday but is set to make his MLB debut should he get subbed in.

ROSTER MOVES:

🔹 INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa placed on 10-day IL (left knee sprain)

🔹 INF Leo Jimenez recalled from Triple-A and will be active for tonight’s game pic.twitter.com/LC0fa8P5ML

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 2, 2024

The swap of Kiner-Falefa and Jimenez echoes a pair of transactions the Blue Jays made earlier this month. All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette went on the 10-day injured list and got replaced by Toronto's No. 2 prospect, infielder Orelvis Martinez.

However, Martinez was suspended 80 games for violating MLB's performance enhancing drug policy shortly after, taking just three at-bats at the big league level.

That left Jimenez as the No. 2 active position player in the Blue Jays' farm system, behind only 18-year-old Arjun Nimmala.

Jimenez has appeared in 57 games for Triple-A Buffalo so far this season, batting .271 with seven home runs, 23 RBI and an .847 OPS. In his minor league career, Jimenez is a .272 hitter with a .782 OPS, averaging 10 home runs, 75 RBI and 11 stolen bases per 162 games.

The 23-year-old is primarily a shortstop, but he has a decent amount of experience at second base.

Toronto may miss the defensive versatility Kiner-Falefa brought to the table, considering how he split his time between short, second and third. He was also a part-time outfielder during his days with the Yankees, and he even used to suit up as a catcher on occasion with the Texas Rangers.

Kiner-Falefa has been enjoying a career year at the plate as well, batting .292 with seven home runs, 33 RBI, a .758 OPS and a 3.2 WAR. On top of leading the American League with a 1.6 defensive WAR, he is also well on his way to a career high in offensive WAR, depending on how this knee injury impacts his pace moving forward.

It remains to be seen if Jimenez can make up for Kiner-Falefa's lost production on both offense and defense.

The Blue Jays' game against the Astros is scheduled to get underway at 7:07 p.m. ET. Toronto is 3-10 of its last 13 games, while Houston is 10-1 over its last 11.

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