The Toronto Blue Jays have been one of baseball’s hottest teams over the last month, and as a result, this team have gone from major disappointment to just one game back of the final Wild Card spot in the American League.
Despite this, the team are still sitting at 62-65 on the season, so to be genuine World Series contenders like they were a year ago in 2025 when they were just one inning away from glory, they’ve still got plenty of work to do. That work continues in game two of a series against the Tampa Bay Rays, but in a critical matchup after taking game one, the team have shockingly left Ernie Clement out of the lineup.
Ernie Clement Left out of Toronto’s Starting Lineup
GettyErnie Clement of the Toronto Blue Jays.
In recent times, it’s been noted that after acquiring Brett Bateman, the Blue Jays have preferred him and Nathan Lukes at the top of the lineup, and while Ernie Clement found himself back down the bottom of the lineup, it added depth and length to a group that desperately needed it.
However, despite still performing well and playing very well defensively at second base, Clement continues to get demoted, and after a 3-5 performance against the Rays where he also scored three of their 10 runs in the 10-5 victory, the beloved infielder was left out of the lineup on Wednesday completely.
In his place, the infield will see Kazuma Okamoto at first base, Josh Smith at second, Charles McAdoo at third base and Andres Gimenez not only at shortstop, but hitting fifth in the lineup as well.
These are some major changes for a Blue Jays team that are one win against the Rays away from seven straight series victories, and unsurprisingly, fans in the comments on social media were not too happy to see one of the Blue Jays best hitters left out of the lineup.
Update: Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling has now reported that it’s an illness keeping Clement out of the lineup, as he woke up with an illness on Wednesday, one keeping him out of the lineup against Tampa Bay, with more updates to come if they are revealed ahead of the game.
Ernie Clement Needs to be in Toronto’s Lineup
While he has slowed down from his incredibly hot start that saw him named an All-Star for the first time, Clement has still been incredibly productive for the Blue Jays this season, hitting .285 with a .714 OPS alongside 9 home runs and 43 RBI, playing in 124 of Toronto’s 127 games to date.
Obviously, there’s no hard feelings around the talented infielder, with the Blue Jays likely just wanting another left-handed bat in the lineup against the right-handed Drew Rasmussen, with George Springer also out of the lineup, but given his production, it’s hard to see why Clement would be taken out.
If he remains out of the lineup on Thursday, there may be something larger at play, but for now it’s likely just a day off for one of Toronto’s most productive hitters, but given how important every game is for this team down the stretch, manager John Schneider will be hoping this is a move that doesn’t come back to haunt him.
Blue Jays Make Shock Call on Ernie Clement Following Rays Victory