The Blue Jays’ handoff from Bo Bichette to rookie Leo Jimenez at shortstop has been surprisingly smooth. Here’s why

The 23-year-old Jimenez, the Jays’ No. 5 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, started just twice in his first week in the big leagues. But Bo Bichette hurt his calf on July 9, and Jimenez has been a staple at short  ever since.

With Bichette re-aggravating the injury Friday night and hitting the injured list Saturday, the Panamanian infielder is likely to be there for a while.

“I don’t want to go out there and put pressure on myself,” Jimenez said before Sunday’s 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers at the Rogers Centre, backed by a pair of George Springer home runs to avoid a weekend sweep. “I just want to keep being the same player I’ve been and be out there and just trust myself. If I trust myself ... everything’s going to show up out there.”

A strong defender with a terrific eye at the plate, Jimenez compiled a .392 on-base plus slugging mark over six minor-league seasons, a professional career that began with a two-hit game for the Jays’ Gulf Coast League affiliate just one month after his 17th birthday. After 11 games in the majors, not much has changed. 

“I think he’s been doing a really good job overall,” said rookie outfielder Steward Berroa (Jimenez’s teammate at six stops in the Jays’ minor-league system)  who beat his buddy to the big leagues by 10 days.

“I think (playing) here is more about controlling the emotion, controlling the game speed a little bit more, but I think it’s the same game. You’re going to get maybe harder ground balls, maybe better spins, but in the end it’s just a ground ball.”

Jimenez takes a lot of pride in, and does a lot of work on, his defence.

This team has a history of great defensive shortstops — from Alfredo Griffin and Tony Fernández to Alex Gonzalez, John McDonald and Troy Tulowitzki — so Jays fans understand that a game-changing glove up the middle can make a huge difference. Jimenez isn’t there yet, but he’s got a solid foundation.

“He makes all the routine plays and he makes it look really easy,” said Clement, who has played beside Jimenez at third base in eight of the rookie’s nine big-league games.

“It’s just so huge to have a good internal clock like he has, and he makes it look really smooth, too. ... For a kid his age, who is young and coming up, it’s so impressive to see because, being a guy who plays the left side of the infield, it’s tough. It’s harder than it looks and he just makes it look really easy, and there’s no panic at all.”

It might look smooth, but just like a duck floating along the water, there’s a whole lot of work going on below the surface.

”(The work ethic is) something that’s coming from since I signed in 2017,” said Jimenez. “It’s a lot of work. You’ve got to keep working every single day to be at this level, and to stay here. That’s the whole point of it. But I think it’s been pretty good so far.”

It certainly has.

Jimenez is batting .267. On the Jays, only Spencer Horwitz (.313), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.292) and Clement (.268) have been better. 

His keen eye at the plate has translated to the highest level as well, with a .371 OBP that’s behind only Horwitz’s .414. Jimenez has been the same hitter despite a major uptick in the quality of pitching he’s facing.

“You’ve got (pitchers) here who have been around the game for years and years,” Jimenez said. “You’ve even got young guys who pitch like they’ve been here for years, too. It’s all about how you handle your (strike) zone, handle your game and what you bring to the table.”

What Jimenez brought Sunday was an 0-for-4 at the plate that included two hard line drives to centre field. His only defensive play came with one out in the ninth, a ground ball from speedy Tigers shortstop Javier Báez, who represented the tying run.

Smooth pickup. Great clock. No panic. Easy out.

“You feel good when the ball’s hit to him,” Jays manager John Schneider said after the victory. “That’s really, really nice to have.

“He’s been really damn good.”