The Red Sox made roster cuts on Sunday, parting ways with six minor league players, including outfielder Gilberto Jimenez.
Jimenez, aged 23, was previously regarded as one of the top prospects in Boston’s minor league system. Hailing from the Dominican Republic, he initially signed with the Red Sox for a modest $10,000 as an international free agent after graduating from San Cristobal in August 2017.
Despite his low signing bonus, Jimenez quickly made an impact in the lower minors following his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League the following June. As a switch-hitter, he recorded an .804 OPS in 67 games for DSL Red Sox 1 and earned recognition as the club’s 2018 Latin Program Position Player of the Year.
After transitioning to the United States in 2019, Jimenez continued to showcase his potential by recording a .359/.393/.470 slash line with 11 doubles, three triples, three home runs, 19 RBIs, 35 runs scored, 14 stolen bases, 13 walks, and 38 strikeouts in 59 games (253 plate appearances) for the short-season Lowell team. His impressive performance led to him leading the New York-Penn League in batting average and earning recognition as an organizational All-Star by MiLB.com.
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic canceling the 2020 minor league season, Jimenez faced developmental challenges as he was not included in Boston’s alternate training site camp during that summer. Despite this setback, he showcased his skills at the Red Sox’ fall instructional league in Fort Myers, which contributed to his ranking as the No. 7 prospect in the organization by Baseball America heading into the 2021 season.
Following his participation in his first major league spring training, Jimenez began the 2021 season with Low-A Salem. Despite maintaining a solid batting average (.306) over 94 games with the Red Sox’ Carolina League affiliate, he struggled to generate power, hitting only three home runs in 408 plate appearances. Although he became Rule 5-eligible for the first time that winter, Boston chose not to protect him, and he went unselected by all 29 other clubs.
In 2022, Jimenez moved up to High-A Greenville but remained at that level for the past two seasons without advancing further. He posted a .672 OPS in 99 games (407 plate appearances) for the Drive two years ago and played just 48 total games (197 plate appearances) across three different affiliates in 2023 due to injuries.
Throughout his time in the Red Sox organization, Jimenez compiled a batting line of .300/.342/.409 with 66 doubles, 21 triples, 16 home runs, 165 RBIs, 215 runs scored, 72 stolen bases, 77 walks, and 320 strikeouts over 367 minor league games (1,549 plate appearances). He primarily played in center field, accumulating playing time across all three outfield positions.
It will be intriguing to observe if Jimenez can find a new team despite not reaching the age of 24 until July. Although he hasn’t played beyond A-ball, his potential as outfield depth in the mid-minors might make him an attractive prospect for teams looking to bolster their roster.
Alongside Jimenez, the Red Sox also released several other players on Sunday, including right-handers Maceo Campbell and Garrett Ramsey, first baseman C.J. Cron, and infielders Lyonell James and Joe Dunand.
