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Looking at how the Blue Jays can deploy Ernie Clement when Andrés Giménez returns
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Photo credit: © Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Aug 12, 2025, 08:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 12, 2025, 20:27 EDT
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Andrés Giménez will rejoin the Toronto Blue Jays sooner rather than later.
The Platinum Glove winner has had an up-and-down season, starting the year incredibly well, cooling off for essentially the entire month of April, before being an average hitter from May 2nd until his most recent injury. Of course, he provided excellent defence at the key stone, but also missed significant time due to injury.
One of a few players who could be affected by Giménez’s return is Ernie Clement. The 29-year-old is having a career season, slashing .289/.323/.413 with eight home runs in 445 plate appearances, giving him a 2.7 fWAR and 103 wRC+. While he is a slightly worse defender than Giménez (this isn’t a knock; Clement is a fantastic defender), Clement provides a lot more versatility, playing great defence at second base, shortstop, and third base.
That said, what avenue could the Blue Jays go down with Clement when Giménez returns? Let’s find out!

Stick at third base

Of Clement’s 117 games, he’s appeared in, 64 of them have seen him play third base, 44 at second base, 19 at shortstop, and 13 at first base; his use at the latter won’t be needed with the addition of Ty France.
Having Clement in the lineup every day solely for his defence is worth it, as he has 6 Defensive Runs Saved and 3 Outs Above Average in 447.2 innings at the hot corner. He also finished as a runner-up for the Gold Glove at the position.
Things could get a bit complicated depending on the Blue Jays’ health later in the season. If Santander returns, a big if, the Jays would have quite a lot of outfielders between him, George Springer, Nathan Lukes, Daulton Varsho, Joey Loperfido, Davis Schneider, and Myles Straw. That isn’t mentioning Addison Barger, who may need to shift to third base with a fully healthy Blue Jays’ squad, which would cut into Clement’s playing time.
However, players could be optioned, and the Blue Jays love their versatility, so they’ll surely figure out a way to make Clement play most of the games at the hot corner.

Platoon at second base

Clement has also been an above-average defender at the key stone when called upon. This season, he has 4 DRS and OAA in 320.1 innings at the position. It’s not Giménez’s type of numbers, but he’s a good defender at second base.
Looking at the bat, the right-handed Clement is much better against left-handed pitchers, as he’s slashing .345/.376/.583 with six home runs in 150 plate appearances a 162 wRC+. Against righties in 295 plate appearances, Clement is slashing .260/.296/.326 with two home runs for a 73 wRC+, with one of those home runs coming this past week.
It’s the opposite for Giménez, a left-handed batter. Against left-handed pitchers, he’s slashing just .133/.212/.217 with one home run (off Max Fried of all pitchers) for a 22 wRC+ in 66 plate appearances. Giménez’s numbers against righties are much better, slashing .252/.33/.364 with four home runs in 172 plate appearances for a 100 wRC+.
It’s not a perfect solution given how much Giménez makes toward the payroll, but it’d put both him and Clement in a position to succeed.

Slide into a utility role

Alternatively, Clement could slide into a super utility role, especially when there is a left-handed pitcher on the mound. He’s good defensively at shortstop, third, and second base; he’s even played a bit in the outfield in past years.
Using Clement in this type of role when/if Santander returns this season would allow Barger, Bichette, and Giménez to DH without sacrificing defence. It wouldn’t be using Clement to his best ability, but having a player like Clement as a utility player usually means the team is doing pretty darn well.

So what’s likely?

Honestly, it’ll probably be a combination of all three of these pathways. The Blue Jays love to do things differently, such as a rotating designated hitter. Clement’s defence alone is reason enough he should be in the lineup, even if his numbers against right-handed pitching aren’t great.
There’s so much versatility on the team that it should be hard to find Clement playing time, even with a fully healthy lineup.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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