Andrés

Giménez

Giménez got the scoring started in this one with a 412-foot (102.0 mph EV) solo shot to center in the third inning. That would be his only hit in four plate appearances on the day. The dynamic 27-year-old has struggled at the dish over the past few weeks and is now slashing just .223/.260/.370 with six homers, 28 RBI and six stolen bases on the season.

The 27-year-old infielder opened the scoring in the ballgame with a two-run double off of Brant Hurter in the second inning. That would prove to be the extent of the Jays’ offense in the ballgame. Giménez is having a solid season at the dish, slashing .250/.276/.417 with five homers, 25 RBI and five stolen bases in his first 153 plate appearances.

Giménez took Rays starter Drew Rasmussen deep for a three-run homer in the second inning before repeating the feat against reliever Ian Seymour in the seventh to record the first multi-homer performance of his career. The 27-year-old infielder was one of the few bright spots in this one as he was responsible for all five of Toronto’s runs in a losing effort. He’s up to five round-trippers already through 38 games after mustering only seven across 101 contests last year in his Blue Jays debut.

This is now the second straight game that Giménez has sat against a left-handed pitcher. Ernie Clement will start at shortstop and Lenyn Sosa will play second base. It’s a bit concerning that Sosa, who also hits left-handed, is in the lineup while Giménez is not. Giménez has enjoyed a better season this year than last season, but he’s in a strong side platoon and lacks power, which limits him to deeper formats.

It looks to be a regular day of rest for the 27-year-old infielder. Ernie Clement will cover shortstop and bat leadoff in his absence while Davis Schneider will make a start at second base and bat eighth for the Jays against Guardians’ right-hander Slade Cecconi.

Giménez is now hitting .292 with an .825 OPS in the early going, and we’re a little surprised he hasn’t been moved up Toronto’s batting order further. He hit seventh today for the second day in a row. Nobody’s rushing out to the waiver wire to claim this is a Giménez renaissance year or anything, but he’s been playable in deeper mixed leagues.

A day after collecting two hits, Giménez doubled it with a four-hit day against the Athletics on Saturday. He knocked base hits in the third and seventh innings before driving in a key run with a single in the eighth. With the game in extras, he got on with his fourth hit in the tenth and stole second for his first steal of the season. The 27-year-old shortstop is now 6-for-8 at the dish through a pair of games.

Giménez put the Blue Jays up 2-1 in the fifth inning when he floated a ball into left center that was misplayed by two defenders and rolled to the back of the wall for a triple. After a game-tying homer by Shea Langeliers in the ninth inning, Giménez again came up clutch for the Jays, when he squeezed snuck a grounder past second base to drive in Kazuma Okamoto from third for the walk-off win. Not often known for his bat, we’ll need to see a few more outings like this from Giménez before we consider him a fantasy viable option this season.

Okamoto immediately slots into the heart of Toronto’s loaded lineup as the defending American League champions open their spring exhibition schedule. The 29-year-old infielder brings an extensive track record of success in Japan as a power-oriented bat with solid contact skills, a profile that should make his transition to the majors less volatile than most international imports. He’s been going outside the top 275 picks on average in NFBC drafts since early February, making him an intriguing late-round flyer for fantasy managers. Here is the full lineup: Ernie Clement (2B), Andrés Giménez (SS), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B), Alejandro Kirk (C), Addison Barger (RF, Okamoto (3B), Daulton Varsho (DH), Davis Schneider (LF), Nathan Lukes (CF).

Springer has been playing through a laundry list of physical issues this postseason, but he’s atop Toronto’s lineup as the calendar flips to November for the most important contest for the franchise in over three decades. Alejandro Kirk is a full-go for the winner-take-all showdown at the Rogers Centre after being plunked on the left hand during the ninth inning of Game 6. Here’s the full lineup set to face Dodgers superstar Shoei Ohtani and company: Springer (DH), Nathan Lukes (LF), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B), Bo Bichette (2B), Addison Barger (RF), Kirk (C), Daulton Varsho (CF), Ernie Clement (3B) and Andrés Giménez (SS).