Red Sox designate Luis Jimenez for assignment
By Conor Duffy
The Red Sox activated Shane Victorino from the 15-day disabled list yesterday and, in a corresponding move, designated Luis Jimenez for assignment.
This decision should come as a surprise to nobody as Jimenez was hardly a key player for the Red Sox. In a week since the Red Sox claimed him off waivers (after the Brewers designated him for assignment), Jimenez played in just one game for the Red Sox and received only one at bat.
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Jimenez has struggled this season in 16 games (17 plate appearances) between the Red Sox and Brewers, going a meager 1-16 with a walk in that time. He does have the ceiling to be better than that offensively, as he slashed .286/.321/.505 in the admittedly hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League last season and is the owner of a .299/.335/.509 line across his eight-year minor league career.
However, the former highly-touted Angels prospect has just never been able to latch on with an MLB team. In 68 career games at the major league level, he has slashed .217/.253/.268 with a whopping 47 strikeouts versus just 3 walks in 168 plate appearances. Obviously his plate discipline (or lack thereof) has held him back from major league success at the plate and, as a result, he has bounced from the Angels to the Brewers to the Red Sox and now elsewhere.
At this point in time, Jimenez’s value stems from his defense, though. He is considered a well above-average defender at both second base and third base and a team in need of a utility infielder could use Jimenez effectively. However, the Red Sox, who have one of the better super utility men in baseball in Brock Holt, did not fit that mold. There was simply no obvious place for Jimenez in Boston and it makes sense to see the team let him go even just a week after claiming him.