Marlins DFA Leo Jiménez After Months of Offensive Struggles

For months, Miami Marlins fans watched the same frustrating scenario play out.

Leo Jiménez would step into the batter’s box with another opportunity to prove himself, only for the offense to disappear once again.

Eventually, the numbers became too difficult to ignore.

On Thursday, before the series finale against the Kansas City Royals — a game the Marlins lost 7-3 — Miami finally decided it had seen enough.

The club designated Jiménez for assignment, ending his time on the roster and once again creating an opportunity for Deyvison De Los Santos as the Marlins head into the final stretch of the season.

“It just came down to the actual performance just never got going,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough told reporters Thursday in the dugout at Kauffman Stadium.

The move feels less like a surprise and more like something that had been building for quite some time.

Jiménez arrived in Miami with a reputation centered heavily around his defense.

The young infielder had been regarded as a talented defensive player capable of handling multiple positions, giving the Marlins some valuable versatility.

That ability was appealing, particularly for a club looking for depth, but the problem became increasingly obvious: Miami needed more production at the plate.

In 66 games, Jiménez slashed .199/.306/.259 and didn't hit his first home run until early July on the road.

McCullough continued giving Jiménez opportunities, presumably hoping that the bat would eventually come around.

Unfortunately for both sides, that breakthrough never arrived consistently enough to justify continuing with the same arrangement. As the season progressed, the pressure to make every roster spot count only increased.

That is ultimately why the move makes sense, and McCullough said Jiménez handled it like a true professional.

Miami is trying to compete, and the final weeks of the season are not the time to continue waiting indefinitely for a player to figure things out.

The Marlins need contributors who can help them win games now, and every roster decision carries more weight as the calendar moves toward October.

That does not necessarily mean Jiménez's career is finished.

At 25 years old, he is still young enough to attract interest from another organization, especially given his defensive versatility, which could make him an intriguing reclamation project.

Another team may believe it can unlock the offensive potential that Miami never consistently saw.

After months of waiting for the breakthrough that never came, the Marlins have finally closed the book on the Jiménez experiment.

McCullough’s group, entering a season-defining nine-game homestand at 71-70 beginning Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET, is three games behind the final National League Wild Card spot with 21 games remaining.