Toronto Blue Jays Shortstop Advances in World Baseball Classic With Venezuela

· Yahoo Sports

The 2026 World Baseball Classic has already been an amazing international tournament filled with several highlight moments and performances. And one Toronto Blue Jays player is extending his stay in the tournament.

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Venezuela beat Nicaragua 4-0 on Monday in Pool D competition at loanDepot Park in Miami.

Venezuela will face the Dominican Republic in the championship game of Pool D of the WBC. Both teams have already cemented their spot in the quarterfinal round of the international tournament.

Venezuela and the Dominican Republic will play in the championship game of Pool D at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday. The winner of that game will play Korea at loanDepot Park on March 13 and the loser of the Pool D championship will play Japan on March 14 at loanDepot Park. Both Venezuela and the Dominican Republic are 3-0.

And one of the Toronto Blue Jays projected starters this upcoming season is playing a significant role on Venezuela. He has a .629 OPS in two games. He also made a web gem play against Nicaragua, completing a spin and throw to first base for an out in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Gimenez has made multiple highlight plays at shortstop in the WBC. He made a leaping grab to rob an out against the Netherlands on March 6.

Gimenez is currently projected to open the season as the Blue Jays' starting shortstop, according to FanGraphs.

Before he departed to Venezuela for the WBC, he slashed .273/.333/.727 with a 1.060 OPS and hit two doubles and a home run with two RBIs in five Grapefruit League games.

Last season, Gimenez's first with Toronto, slashed .210/.285/.313 with a .598 OPS in 101 games. He connected for 11 doubles, a triple and seven homers with 35 RBIs.

The Blue Jays originally acquired Gimenez in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians on Dec. 10, 2024, in return for first baseman Spencer Horwitz and outfielder Nick Mitchell.

Gimenez signed a seven-year contract extension with Cleveland ahead of the 2023 season that will extend through the 2029 season. There's a club option included on the contract for 2030.

Gimenez's first season with Toronto was plagued with injuries. He was on the 10-day injured list from May 8-July 3 with a right quad strain. He had another stint on the IL from July 5-Aug. 12 due to a left ankle sprain.

Having Gimenez at shortstop was part of the reason the Blue Jays were content in letting Bo Bichette walk this offseason and his performance in the WBC is a good sign for the regular season.

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