Ernie Clement was out of the Blue Jays' starting lineup again on Wednesday because of a sore hip. It was the second straight game he missed, and Toronto had to keep moving without its leader in hits and doubles.
John Schneider on Clement
John Schneider said Clement had been dealing with the issue for a bit and was being given time off. “He’s probably annoyed that he isn’t playing today,” Schneider said in his office before Wednesday’s game.
“He has been grinding through it but we feel it is better for him to get some rest,” he said. Clement was hitting.293, with 86 hits and 20 doubles.
Blue Jays lineup pressure
The absence came at Rogers Centre against the Houston Astros, with Toronto already having used seven pitchers in Tuesday’s 9-7 extra-innings loss. That left the Blue Jays managing the lineup while also trying to recover on the mound after a long night.
Clement’s numbers explain why the break matters inside the lineup. He was tied with Kazuma Okamoto for first on the club in total bases with 129, and Schneider said he would likely be the American League’s starting second baseman at the All-Star game.
Toronto and the next step
Schneider also said the team felt it was better to protect him than keep pushing through the hip issue. The practical question now is how long Toronto keeps him out, because the decision is already affecting the middle of the lineup and the club’s most productive bat at second base.
The Blue Jays will need to balance Clement’s workload against how much offense they lose when he sits. For now, Wednesday was another night without him in the starting group, and that choice told the story more plainly than any lineup card could.
