Report: Rays bring in Eloy Jiménez on minor-league deal

The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to a minor-league contract with designated hitter Eloy Jiménez, sources told ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

Jiménez is hoping a move to Tampa will help revitalize his floundering career. The 28-year-old just completed his worst season, hitting .238/.289/.336 with six home runs and 23 RBIs across 98 games split between the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles.

Baltimore acquired Jiménez from the White Sox at this year's trade deadline, hoping a change of scenery and move to a contender might spark his bat. Instead, he slumped to a .586 OPS with one homer in 100 plate appearances after the trade and was optioned to Triple-A late in the season. The Orioles declined his $16.5-million club option in November.

Although he came up as an outfielder, the oft-injured Jiménez was always known as a poor defender and has played just 15 games in the outfield over the past two seasons. As strictly a DH, he could be a fit for the Rays provided he's able to rediscover his past power. Jonathan Aranda and Jake Magnum are currently projected to open the season in a platoon at DH in Tampa.

Once a top prospect with the White Sox, Jiménez signed a six-year, $43-million extension in 2019 that was a then-record for a player with no MLB service time. Despite a 31-homer rookie campaign, he never lived up to the deal's expectations, in part thanks to a slew of injuries. Jiménez has never played more than 122 games in a season and has spent time on the IL every year save for the shortened 2020 campaign.

For his career, Jiménez is a .269/.318/.462 hitter with 95 home runs and 298 RBIs across parts of six seasons with the White Sox and Orioles. The Dominican Republic native won a Silver Slugger in 2020.