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Ernie Clement Not Assured of Blue Jays Second Base Job Entering 2027
Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said that infielder Ernie Clement "will have to earn" the team's starting second base job in 2027, per Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. After being one of the heroes of Toronto's run to a World Series appearance in 2025, Clement's numbers regressed in 2026. Across 621 plate appearances this past season, the 30-year-old hit .259/.285/.364 with nine home runs, 48 RBI, 60 runs scored, and seven stolen bases. Perhaps most concerningly for Toronto, his defensive metrics plummeted after he graded out as a plus defender in 2025. Clement rarely strikes out (9.3% strikeout rate) and can line up all over the diamond, which makes him a valuable piece for the Blue Jays. However, the 30-year-old may be best suited for a utility role in Toronto going forward.
Source: The Athletic - Mitch Bannon
Source: The Athletic - Mitch Bannon
Ernie Clement Draws Back into Blue Jays Lineup on Thursday
Toronto Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement (hip) is starting at shortstop and is batting second for Toronto in Thursday's contest against the visiting Texas Rangers and left-hander MacKenzie Gore, according to MLB.com. Clement missed the last two games for the Jays with soreness in his left hip, and he also missed a few games last weekend with the same issue. He's feeling better now, though, and will return to the field for Thursday's series opener against Texas. Fantasy managers may want to continue to sit Clement, who has hit a cold spell at the plate recently, going 2-for-19 (.105) with a run scored, one walk, and four strikeouts in his last six games. The 30-year-old utility infielder has slashed .292/.313/.437 this year with a .750 OPS, seven home runs, 28 RBI, 35 runs scored, and two stolen bases in his 295 at-bats. Clement lacks power and speed, but his high contact rate and multi-position eligibility make him an asset in fantasy for depth. In seven career at-bats against Gore, Clement has one RBI, a .143 average, and a .365 OPS.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Ernie Clement Out Again on Wednesday With Hip Injury
Toronto Blue Jays utility infielder Ernie Clement (hip) is out of the team's starting lineup for the second straight day on Wednesday against the visiting Houston Astros at the Rogers Centre, according to MLB.com. Luis Urias, who homered on Tuesday in his debut with Toronto, will make another start at the keystone and will hit ninth in the batting order against Astros right-hander Mike Burrows. Clement also missed two games over the weekend with soreness in his left hip, so it's something to watch moving forward. For now, fantasy managers should consider the versatile infielder to be day-to-day and check back to see if he's available to play in Thursday's series opener at home against the Texas Rangers. The 30-year-old former fourth-round pick by the Cleveland Guardians in 2017 out of the University of Virginia has minimal power or speed, but he makes a lot of contact, is hitting a strong .293 (86-for-294), and is eligible in Yahoo leagues at second base, first base, third base, and shortstop. Clement has hit .269 (18-for-67) with two homers, a double, a triple, six RBI, and 10 runs scored in his 17 games in June.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Ernie Clement Out Again With Hip Soreness
Toronto Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement (hip) remains out of action for Tuesday's contest against the visiting Houston Astros, per MLB.com. Luis Urias will make the start at the keystone for Toronto and will bat seventh against Astros right-hander Pete Lambert. A sore left hip kept Clement out of the team's starting lineup on Friday and Saturday before he returned in Monday's series opener against the Astros, but apparently, he's not completely past the injury. The good news is that he's expected to be available off the bench on Tuesday at the Rogers Centre, so Clement is likely to return to the diamond for Wednesday's contest. The 30-year-old super-utility infielder makes a lot of contact and is currently hitting a strong .293 (86-for-294) on the season with seven home runs, 28 RBI, 35 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 76 games across 306 plate appearances. Clement doesn't possess a ton of over-the-fence pop, but he will certainly be a boost to your fantasy team's batting average, and he's eligible at first base, second base, third base, and shortstop in Yahoo leagues.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Ernie Clement Remains Out of Lineup With Hip Soreness
Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement (hip) will miss his second consecutive game due to left hip soreness. The 30-year-old is, however, available off the bench if needed in Saturday's contest against Chicago. Manager John Schneider also said that, if all goes according to plan, Clement will be back in the lineup on Sunday for the team's series finale. At this point, the injury does not appear to be overly serious and is something that additional rest could resolve. That being said, if he is unable to return soon, a trip to the injured list could become a possibility. In his absence, Davis Schneider will start at second base. Clement is having a career-best season at the plate, batting .294 with seven home runs and stealing two bases. He has been a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for the Blue Jays.
Source: Arden Zwelling
Source: Arden Zwelling
Ernie Clement Out With Hip Soreness on Friday
Toronto Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement (hip) is dealing with some soreness in his left hip and will sit out of Friday's series opener at Wrigley Field against the hosting Chicago Cubs, according to Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling. The Blue Jays have been looking to get Clement a day of rest during their current stretch of 16 games in 16 days. Davis Schneider is making the start at second base on Friday and will bat eighth against Cubs right-hander Ben Brown. It doesn't sound like Clement's hip injury is very serious, so he could be right back in the starting nine on Saturday on the North Side of Chicago for Game 2 of the series. The contact-oriented Clement is currently hitting a strong .294 (85-for-289) for Toronto through 74 games in 2026 with a league-high 20 doubles, seven home runs, 28 RBI, 35 runs scored, and two stolen bases across an even 300 plate appearances. He's well on his way to setting a new career high in long balls after hitting just 12 in 2024 in his second season in Toronto. Clement is attractive in most fantasy leagues for his positional eligibility at first base, second base, third base, and shortstop.
Source: Sportsnet - Arden Zwelling
Source: Sportsnet - Arden Zwelling
Andres Gimenez Returns to Action on Tuesday Against Boston
Toronto Blue Jays infielder Andres Gimenez (wrist) is starting at shortstop and will bat eighth for Toronto on Tuesday on the road at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox and left-hander Payton Tolle, per MLB.com. Gimenez is back in action for Tuesday's series opener after he was scratched from Sunday's series finale against the New York Yankees with a wrist injury. The 27-year-old glove-first player obviously wasn't dealing with a very serious injury. With Gimenez returning, utility man Ernie Clement will move back over to second base on Tuesday. Gimenez has limited upside offensively with below-average power and speed, which is why he's rostered in only 13% of Yahoo leagues. He comes into Tuesday's tilt with a .222/.269/.351 slash line, .621 OPS, six home runs, 30 RBI, seven stolen bases, and 16 runs scored across his 68 games played in 2026. Gimenez has really struggled against southpaws, too, going 9-for-55 (.164) against them with just one of his six home runs against them this year.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Andres Gimenez Scratched on Sunday With Wrist Soreness
The Toronto Blue Jays announced that they scratched infielder Andres Gimenez (wrist) from the starting lineup on Sunday against the division-rival New York Yankees with left-wrist soreness. Ernie Clement will make the start at the 6 on Sunday for the Jays while batting seventh against Yankees right-hander Will Warren. Davis Schneider enters the starting nine and will man the keystone for Toronto. For now, we'll consider Gimenez to be day-to-day with his wrist injury. The 27-year-old Venezuelan infielder could be back for Tuesday's series opener against the division-rival Boston Red Sox after a scheduled day off on Monday if his injury isn't serious. Gimenez remains mostly a glove-first player as the Blue Jays' starting shortstop. He doesn't carry much fantasy appeal due to his lack of upside with the bat. Gimenez comes into Sunday's action with a weak .222/.269/.351 slash line, .620 OPS, six home runs, 30 RBI, seven stolen bases, and 16 runs scored in 243 plate appearances across his 68 games played. He has cleared 10 home runs twice in his six-year MLB career, and not since 2023.
Source: Toronto Blue Jays
Source: Toronto Blue Jays
Ernie Clement Returns From Illness on Wednesday
Toronto Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement (illness) is starting at second base and is batting sixth on Wednesday against the hosting New York Yankees and right-hander Cam Schlittler in the Bronx, according to MLB.com. Clement did not play on Tuesday due to a case of strep throat, but he is feeling much better and will return to action as the series in New York continues. The 30-year-old utility man makes plenty of contact at the plate and carries a very useful .287 batting average (52-for-181), but he has limited power (three homers) and has only stolen one base in addition to 16 RBI and 18 runs scored so far in 2026. He hasn't been as consistent in May, either, going 14-for-55 (.255) with two homers, seven RBI, and eight runs scored in 59 plate appearances across 16 games played. Clement has only faced Schlittler three times in his career and has one hit against him. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues are hoping that Clement can get things turned around now that he is feeling better.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Ernie Clement Out on Tuesday With Strep Throat
Toronto Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement (illness) is out of the starting lineup on Tuesday against the division-rival New York Yankees due to strep throat, according to Hazel Mae of Sportsnet. Clement told Mae that "it started yesterday." Davis Schneider is starting at second base for Toronto and will hit seventh for the Jays against Yankees right-hander Will Warren in the Bronx. Schneider has faced Warren only two times in his career, but has a home run and two RBI. The 30-year-old Clement should be considered day-to-day for now. The former fourth-round selection by the Cleveland Guardians in 2017 out of Virginia hasn't provided fantasy managers with much besides a decent average (.281) in 2026. He also has a .309 on-base percentage, .406 slugging percentage, .714 OPS, three home runs, 16 RBI, 18 runs scored, and a steal in 188 plate appearances across his 46 games played. Clement is also useful in deeper fantasy leagues with eligibility at first, second, third, and shortstop. He's rostered in just over half of Yahoo leagues.
Source: Sportsnet - Hazel Mae
Source: Sportsnet - Hazel Mae
Andres Gimenez has First Multi-Homer Game of his Career, Drives in Five
Toronto Blue Jays infielder Andres Gimenez was the team's offense on Monday night in their 8-5 loss to the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays at the Rogers Centre. Gimenez went 2-for-4 at the plate with two home runs, five RBI, and two strikeouts out of the eight-hole in the batting order. It was the 27-year-old Venezuelan's first career multi-homer game in his seventh year in the big leagues, and he's now up to five long balls in 38 games to start the 2026 campaign. Gimenez is not known for his power from the left side of the plate. In fact, he's mostly known as a strong glove on the middle infield. In his six years in the big leagues, he has hit double-digit home runs only twice, and not since 2023 with the Cleveland Guardians. Gimenez had seven round-trippers in 101 regular-season games with Toronto in his first season with the team in 2025. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect more power from Gimenez moving forward, and he's currently rostered in only 22% of Yahoo leagues.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
