The Toronto Blue Jays have been a major letdown for much of the 2026 season, but after some under the radar additions at the trade deadline, this is a team that’s now found some momentum.
On the back of five straight series wins, Toronto are now sitting at 59-64 on the season with just two games separating them from the final Wild Card spot in the American League, although there’s several teams between them and their goal of a return to the post-season. After a 3-1 series win over the Boston Red Sox, the team face the New York Yankees in a critical weekend series starting on Friday, and surprisingly, they have made an interesting move with star infielder Ernie Clement.
Ernie Clement Hitting 9th in Yankees Series Opener
GettyErnie Clement of the Toronto Blue Jays.
While 2026 has mostly been a letdown for Blue Jays fans, there have been some positives, and one has been infielder Ernie Clement, who followed up a historic 2025 post-season with a great overall campaign. The numbers may not blow you away, but he earned his way onto the All-Star roster for the first time in his career and is now hitting .280 with 9 home runs and 42 RBI on the season.
Because of this ability and his versatility as an infielder, he’s been played all over the infield this year and has hit up and down the lineup throughout the campaign, even hitting leadoff and second in the order for stretches this year. After hitting second against the Red Sox on Thursday however, the team made a surprise decision on Friday, naming Clement at second base while he will be hitting 9th in the order as the team start a series with the rival Yankees.
B. Bateman CF N. Lukes RF V. Guerrero Jr. 1B G. Springer DH A. Kirk C A. Giménez SS K. Okamoto 3B J. Sánchez LF E. Clement 2B
S. Bieber SP
Given that there’s a right-hander on the mound for New York in Gerrit Cole, it’s no surprise that he’s hitting down the lineup with the team prioritizing Brett Bateman and Nathan Lukes in the 1-2 spots, but given there’s a stretch of four hitters in five spots with right-handed players, it is a shock to see Ernie way down in the 9-hole.
Can the Blue Jays Keep Their Momentum Going?
While the Blue Jays were beaten by the Red Sox on Friday, this is a team that had won three straight against their division foe before the loss, and with momentum behind them, Toronto will use the next three series (New York, Tampa Bay, New York) to make some noise in the American League Wild Card race.
That’s much easier said than done however, as those two teams occupy the top two spots in the AL East standings, but with Toronto somewhat healthy with their old spark coming back, this is a team that’s capable of beating anyone.
Time will tell if they can take down the rival Yankees, but given the bad blood that’s been built up between them over the last 12 months, this will be seen as a must-win series for both teams, and it should be must-watch for fans around the sport.
Blue Jays Demote Ernie Clement Ahead of Critical Yankees Series