Early life and education
Downs was born on July 27, 1998, in San Andrés, Colombia. His father, Jerry Sr., had played professional baseball in Colombia. He was named after Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter. To facilitate better baseball opportunities for him and his brother, Jerry Jr., the family moved to Miami, Florida.[1]
Downs attended Monsignor Edward Pace High School in Miami Gardens, Florida, and played for the school's baseball team as a shortstop. He committed to attend the University of Miami on a college baseball scholarship.[2]
Professional career
Boston Red Sox
The Dodgers traded Downs, Alex Verdugo, and Connor Wong to the Boston Red Sox for Mookie Betts, David Price, and cash considerations on February 10, 2020.[16] Downs did not play during 2020, due to the cancellation of the minor league season. Following the 2020 season, Downs was ranked by Baseball America as the Red Sox' number two prospect.[17]
Downs began the 2021 season in Triple-A with the Worcester Red Sox. In May, he was named to the roster of the Colombia national baseball team for the Americas Qualifying Event for the Olympics.[18] He was selected to play in the mid-season All-Star Futures Game,[19] where he went 1-for-2, driving in two runs with a double.[20] In 99 games with Worcester, Downs batted .190 with 14 home runs and 39 RBIs.[21] After the regular season, Downs was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League.[22] On November 19, in advance of the Rule 5 draft, the Red Sox added Downs to their 40-man roster.[23]
Downs began the 2022 season with Worcester.[24] He was added to Boston's major-league active roster on June 20, despite only batting .180 in 53 games for Worcester.[25] Downs made his MLB debut two nights later, playing third base and going 0-for-4 at the plate against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park.[26] He was optioned back to Triple-A the next day.[27] Downs was recalled to Boston on July 9, when Christian Arroyo was placed on the injured list.[28] That evening, Downs collected his first MLB hit and RBI, and then scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning against the New York Yankees.[29] He hit his first major league home run on July 17 at Yankee Stadium.[30] Downs was optioned back to Worcester on July 30, when Arroyo rejoined the team.[31] In 14 games for the 2022 Red Sox, Downs batted .154 with one home run and four RBIs.[32] In 81 Triple-A games with Worcester, he batted .197 with 16 home runs and 33 RBIs.[21]
Downs was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on December 15, 2022.[33]
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals claimed Downs off of waivers on December 22, 2022.[34] Downs was optioned to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings to begin the 2023 season.[35] He appeared in six games for Washington, going 2–for–5 (.400) with one RBI, two stolen bases, and four walks. His lone RBI came on a walk-off single against the Oakland A's on August 13 to cap a ninth-inning comeback from a 7–2 deficit.[36] On December 12, Downs was designated for assignment by the Nationals.[37]
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
On July 30, 2024, Downs signed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball.[41] He played in seven games down the stretch for the team, going 6-for-22 (.273) with one home run, two RBI, and one stolen base.
Downs made 50 appearances for Fukuoka in 2025, slashing .226/.315/.418 with four home runs, 18 RBI, and four stolen bases. With the Hawks, Downs won the 2025 Japan Series.[42]
International eligibility
Downs represented Colombia at the qualifiers for the 2020 Summer Olympics, which were delayed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He went 1-for-10 with a home run, and Colombia ultimately did not qualify for the tournament.[43]
Along with Colombia, Downs is eligible to represent Nicaragua in international competition through his father, who was born in Nicaragua but emigrated to San Andres during the Nicaraguan Revolution.[44] Downs was included on several hypothetical rosters for Nicaragua at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, but eventually committed to representing Colombia.[45] However, due to insurance complications, he did not join Colombia's roster and instead represented Nicaragua.[46]
