DUNEDIN, Fla. — The crack of the bat turned heads before anyone checked the radar gun. The ball rocketed toward left field, slammed high off the wall, and for a split second it felt like time had rolled back to 2022. The name stitched across the back of the jersey still carried weight: Eloy Jiménez. And suddenly, the Toronto Blue Jays may have stumbled onto something nobody saw coming — a late-winter power surge with October implications.

Flash back to April 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. Jiménez, then the designated hitter for the Chicago White Sox, circled the bases after launching a two-run homer against the Tampa Bay Rays, reminding everyone what his bat can do when locked in. That version of Jiménez — explosive, dangerous, capable of flipping a game with one swing — is the version Toronto is suddenly seeing again.

The Blue Jays signed the 29-year-old to a minor-league deal this offseason with an invite to Spring Training, a low-risk move for the reigning American League champions. Most of the roster was already penciled in by late February. Bench spots were scarce. Expectations were high. Jiménez was viewed as depth — insurance at best.

Now? He’s forcing a conversation.

Through his first three games of 2026 Spring Training, Jiménez has erupted to a blistering .625 average, collecting five hits in eight plate appearances, including a home run, two doubles, and three runs scored. More importantly, the quality of contact has been impossible to ignore. Against the Boston Red Sox, he crushed a 398-foot missile off the “Baby Green Monster” in left field, the ball screaming off his bat at 104.8 mph. In many major-league parks, that ball is in the seats.

It’s early. It’s February. But inside camp, people are watching.

Jiménez’s career has always lived in extremes. From 2019 through 2023, he was quietly one of the more productive bats in baseball, posting a wRC+ above 100 every season, slugging north of .430, and routinely delivering double-digit home runs and doubles. He once reached the 30-homer plateau, a right-handed slugger with raw, punishing power capable of anchoring the middle of a lineup.

Then came the dip.

In 2024, splitting time between Chicago and Baltimore, Jiménez slashed just .238/.289/.336 across 98 games. The power that defined him flickered. The consistency vanished. By 2025, he was bouncing between Triple-A affiliates — including Toronto’s system — fighting to reclaim relevance. Around the league, evaluators began asking a brutal question: was the bat slowing down?

This spring, Jiménez is answering in the only way that matters — with exit velocity.

The Blue Jays don’t need him to be a savior. Their lineup already carries weight. But depth wins pennants, and power off the bench can change postseason series. Jiménez knows he won’t walk into a starting role. His defensive metrics — career negatives in both Runs Value and Outs Above Average — make him a liability in the outfield. If he makes this club, it will be as a designated hitter or a pinch-hitting weapon.

And that path is far from guaranteed.

Toronto recently acquired Jesús Sánchez in a trade with the Houston Astros, adding a left-handed bat with defensive versatility and platoon upside. Sánchez is widely viewed as the favorite to break camp, offering more balance and flexibility. He also benefits from working closely with hitting coach David Popkins, who has a track record of unlocking offensive surges.

That makes Jiménez’s margin razor-thin.

But baseball has a way of rewarding thunder.

Every 100-plus mph rocket off his bat nudges the odds in his favor. Every towering drive forces decision-makers to pause. The Blue Jays didn’t know which version of Jiménez they were getting when they extended that minor-league invite. What they’re seeing now is a hitter with urgency — and something to prove.

There’s also the strategic angle. Even if Jiménez doesn’t crack the Opening Day roster, a scorching spring could transform him into valuable trade depth. Contenders are always hunting right-handed power. A revitalized Jiménez on a modest contract could become a midseason chess piece.

For now, though, the focus remains internal. Toronto’s clubhouse understands how thin the line is between dominance and decline. They’ve seen veterans rediscover form. They’ve seen others fade. What makes this storyline combustible is timing. The Blue Jays are defending American League champions. The window is open. Expectations are towering.

And lurking on a minor-league deal is a former 30-homer slugger rediscovering his swing.

It’s too early to declare a comeback. It’s too early to pencil him into October lineups. But it’s not too early to say this: the Blue Jays may have found an unexpected source of power at precisely the right moment.

If Eloy Jiménez truly is turning back the clock, Toronto’s lineup just got deeper — and the rest of the American League just got a warning shot.