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Blue Jays: Ernie Clement named to USA Baseball’s WBC roster
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Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jan 14, 2026, 07:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 14, 2026, 05:41 EST
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From a minor league contract to a role on Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, it’s been an insane couple of years for Ernie Clement.
On Tuesday, USA Baseball announced that Clement has committed to Team USA for the upcoming World Baseball Classic in March.
Will Clement be their primary third baseman? Probably not, as both Alex Bregman and Matt Chapman are both eligible to play for the team. That said, Clement is a terrific utility option, providing strong defence around the infield with a good hitting ability.
There was no better example of that than in the 2025 postseason. In 18 games with the Jays, Clement slashed .411/.416/.562 with one home run in 77 plate appearances for a 171 wRC+. He was hitting everything and even broke the all-time hits record in a single postseason with 30. This was coming off a .277/.313/.398 slash line with nine home runs in 588 plate appearances during the regular season. If he doesn’t have that type of postseason, do the Toronto Blue Jays nearly win it all?
It’s crazy to take a step back and view Clement’s career. Drafted in the fourth-round of the 2017 draft, Clement hit just 11 home runs in 1,652 plate appearances over his first six seasons. He had a cup of tea with the Cleveland Guardians in 2021 and 2022, as well as the Oakland Athletics in 2022, but he only played 110 Major League Baseball games before joining the Jays system.
The story goes that the Blue Jays were the only team willing to give him regular action in Triple-A heading into the 2023 season, but it’s a minor league deal that has worked out for both parties.
Joining the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, close to his home town of Rochester, it only took Clement 271 plate appearances in Triple-A to match his career-total of home runs. In September 2023, Clement got a cup of tea with the Jays, slashing .380/.385/.500 with one home run in 52 plate appearances, surpassing his record.
Clement outdueled Santiago Espinal for a roster spot and became the Jays’ everyday third-baseman in 2024, slashing .263/.284/.408 for a 2.1 fWAR, earning a nomination for the third base Gold Glove in the American League.
It’s just so hard to fathom how quickly Clement has become a key piece to this Blue Jays’ team, not just on the field, but in the clubhouse. Joining Team USA is a well deserved honour for the 29-year-old.
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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