Baltimore Orioles Make Huge Decision with Eloy Jimenez

He was a Top 3 prospect in baseball, a Silver Slugger winner, and an elite power source. But Eloy Jimenez has had a precipitous fall from grace this season, and has now been demoted to the minor leagues by the Baltimore Orioles.

The Orioles have optioned Eloy Jiménez to Triple-A Norfolk, the team announced. pic.twitter.com/lwv5s7NPPK
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) September 24, 2024

Jimenez has just one home run in 100 plate appearances with the O's after they picked him up off the scrap heap from the Chicago White Sox.

The bigger they are, the harder they fall, goes the old saying, and the 6'4", 250-pound Jimenez has had a mighty hard fall in 2024. He's batting just .238 overall with a .626 OPS and an OPS+ of just 80, about 40 points below his career mark before this season.

Jimenez rocketed onto the scene in 2019 with the Pale Hose after being the No. 3 ranked prospect in baseball the year before, launching 31 long balls and looking like a key piece of their future. He finished 4th in Rookie of the Year balloting. The following season, the shortened 2020 campaign, he took home Silver Slugger honors for the outfield, by posting an .891 OPS and a 139 OPS+.

But injuries have derailed the Dominican slugger's career, as he has topped the 100-game mark only twice in five seasons (and then, not more than 120).

The 27-year-old will now head to Triple-A Norfolk while the Orioles reinstate Ryan Mountcastle from the injured list to take his spot on the roster.