Ernie

Clement

Clement’s downfall from 2025 postseason hero and 2026 AL leading All-Star vote getter to whatever this has been for the last couple of months has been stunning. He hit .150/.186/.200 in September after coming in at .208/.228/.260 in August. Unless he can explain it away due to an injury, the Blue Jays would have a hard time justifying keeping a regular spot open for him next spring. It would make sense to keep him around as a utility guy at a likely $6 million or so in arbitration.

Clement’s two-run double in the first inning was his 30th double of the season and put the Blue Jays ahead 4-0 early. A year ago, he had 35 doubles and nine home runs compared to his 30 doubles and nine home runs already this year. Clement is hitting .276 with a .690 OPS and 46 RBI.

It’s the third straight game that Giménez has missed after suffering a right hamstring injury. The Blue Jays remain hopeful that he’ll be able to avoid a trip to the injured list. Ernie Clement will once again cover shortstop in his place and will bat sixth against Yankees’ left-hander Carlos Rodon on Sunday afternoon.

Ernie Clement takes over at shortstop for the second consecutive contest. The encouraging news is that Giménez appears likely to avoid a trip to the injured list after being reevaluated prior to Saturday afternoon’s tilt in New York. It sounds like there’s a chance he’s ready to return in a couple days after suffering a right hamstring injury earlier this week.

Clement receives some time off after waking up with an illness on Wednesday morning. The versatile 30-year-old should be ready to return in a couple days.

The Astros might have pulled it out afterwards in the bottom of the 10th, but Yordan Alvarez, who slowed up thinking there wouldn’t be a play, was thrown out at second on his inning-opening RBI hit into the corner in right. Clement’s homer off Bennett Sousa was his first of the second half and ninth of the year. It was just his second hit in his last six games.

Toronto is making more of an effort to manage Okamoto’s workload after he played 93 games before the All-Star break. It’ll be Ernie Clement moving over to the hot corner in his place on Wednesday evening.

With his team having totaled two runs the last three days, Jays manager John Schneider will just keep tweaking things until something clicks. Nathan Lukes and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who have been hitting second and third, respectively, have both been moved up one slot tonight. Kazuma Okamoto is down to sixth after spending most of the last month batting fourth and fifth.

Clement singled in the first inning, then doubled in the second. He then brought a run in to score on a sacrifice fly in the third, part of a five-run inning for Toronto. Clement later knocked his third hit to lead off the ninth and scored on a groundout. The 30-year-old infielder is hitting .298/.319/.434 with seven homers, 39 runs scored, and 30 RBI across 354 plate appearances.

Clement is 14-for-60 with one RBI in his last 17 games, with his slump briefly predating his brief absence due to a hip injury, and he’s now sitting at .293/.316/.430 for the season. Remarkably, though, he was the leading vote-getting in AL All-Star balloting anyway. He’s on pace to finish with 13 homers, 53 RBI, 69 runs scored and about two WAR in 622 plate appearances.