Blue Jays Announce Ernie Clement Decision Before Yankees Game

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The Blue Jays announced a decision with Ernie Clement before their game against the New York Yankees Saturday.

The Toronto Blue Jays lost a tight, 3-1 game to the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Friday. But Toronto looks to halt the Yankees winning streak at five Saturday by sending ace Dylan Cease to the mound.

Before the game, the Blue Jays announced a lineup decision with 30-year-old infielder Ernie Clement.

Clement is batting sixth and starting at shortstop for the Blue Jays on Saturday against the streaking Yankees in The Bronx.

The decision keeps a steady contact bat in the middle of the order as Toronto tries to even the three-game series.

Clement enters Saturday hitting .285 with nine home runs, 43 RBI and a .714 OPS across 126 games, numbers that rank among the better contact profiles on Toronto’s roster. A fourth-round pick out of the University of Virginia in 2017, Clement has started at second base, third base and shortstop this season, valued as much for his glove’s flexibility as his bat.

Ernie Clement’s Batting Order Splits

The sixth spot hasn’t been Clement’s favorite position. He’s hitting .244 with three home runs and 11 RBI in 24 games batting sixth, a .659 OPS well below his production from the top of the order. He’s been considerably better in the 2-hole, hitting .319, and the leadoff spot, where he’s at .282.

His recent stretch has trended upward regardless of slot, however. Clement went 3-for-5 with three runs on August 18 against Tampa Bay, and he’s reached base in four of his last five games overall. Friday brought a quieter night — Clement went 1-for-4 in Toronto’s 3-1 loss, with Spencer Jones’ two-run homer and a José Caballero sacrifice fly doing the damage against Toronto’s bullpen. Alejandro Kirk drove in Toronto’s only run with a fifth-inning single off Cam Schlittler.

Toronto’s Lineup Strategy Behind the Sixth Spot

The construction stacks Toronto’s contact and power in the middle. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk, George Springer and Kazuma Okamoto occupy the second through fifth spots before Clement anchors the turn into a lighter bottom third featuring Daz Cameron, Charles McAdoo and Myles Straw. It’s not so much a platoon move against Yankees left-hander Ryan Weathers than a decision to spread dangerous bats through the order.

Clement’s assignment at shortstop also reflects a roster decision. Andrés Giménez, Toronto’s regular at the position, is considered day-to-day, opening the door for Clement’s defensive versatility. Toronto throws Cease on Saturday, and the lineup construction around him leans on the same idea driving Clement’s spot, namely, to keep steady bats spread through the order rather than betting everything on the top of the card.

The Blue Jays sit at 63-67, fourth in the American League East and roughly 14 games behind the division-leading Rays. The Yankees are 73-55, three games behind Tampa Bay for second, and lead the season series 6-5 entering Saturday. Toronto has won six of its last 10 games overall, a stretch that includes series wins over Boston and Tampa Bay.

With little separating the two clubs in recent meetings, Toronto’s lineup reflects an attempt to squeeze offense from every spot rather than chase one matchup. Clement’s contact skills and glove make him the connective piece linking the middle of the order to the bottom, regardless of what his sixth-spot numbers have looked like this season.

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