Andrés Giménez continued to deliver elite defensive value in 2025, but his struggles at the plate persisted. After moving to Toronto, his playing time dropped compared to the steady workload he received in Cleveland, largely due to injuries. The results reflected that reality, as he produced a career-worst .210/.285/.313 slash line while providing limited impact in the lineup.
Many of his underlying metrics now sit in the bottom quartile of the league, reinforcing the decline in offensive production. Even so, Giménez remains a player teams can carry thanks to his defensive excellence, baserunning instincts, and positional flexibility. As long as he occupies a lower spot in the order and focuses on run prevention and speed, his overall value to a roster remains intact.
What to Expect from Andrés Giménez in 2026 Fantasy Baseball
From a fantasy baseball points leagues perspective, Giménez’s strengths come primarily from his defensive reliability and ability to contribute on the basepaths. His speed has historically allowed him to provide meaningful stolen base totals, including back-to-back 30-steal seasons in Cleveland. His versatility across the infield also gives teams flexibility throughout the season, which helps secure playing time even when the bat runs cold.
The weakness remains his offensive profile. Limited power and declining production have made it difficult for him to maintain a consistent role near the top or middle of the order. However, some improvement in batting average may be possible.
His .239 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) from last season was unusually low, and a 55-point gap between his actual batting average against fastballs at .189 and his expected batting average (xBA) of .244 suggests some positive regression could occur. That type of variance is common for contact-oriented hitters with modest power.
Health also played a role in his disappointing season. Giménez acknowledged he was still dealing with discomfort late in the year after returning from a high left ankle sprain suffered in July. The injury likely contributed to both the drop in stolen bases, which fell to 12 after consecutive 30-steal seasons, and the overall offensive struggles.
Entering 2026, Giménez is expected to move into a full-time shortstop role for Toronto following the offseason departure of Bo Bichette. His defense should continue to be a clear asset, and if his batting average rebounds toward career norms while his speed returns closer to previous levels, he could provide modest fantasy value.
As far as shortstop hierarchy for fantasy baseball points leagues, I rank him at Tier 7 under Bobby Witt Jr., Elly De La Cruz, and Gunnar Henderson, among others, and higher than Anthony Volpe, Brooks Lee, and Zach McKinstry.
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