Toronto Blue Jays infielder and first-time All-Star Ernie Clement will bat ninth and start at second base in Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic in Philadelphia, American League manager John Schneider revealed on Monday.

Clement, who led all AL players in fan voting and was automatically named the starter at his position, will round out a star-studded lineup at Citizens Bank Park in this season’s best-on-best event. He’ll act as the second leadoff hitter, if you will.

Mike Trout will lead off in front of AL MVP front-runner Yordan Alvarez, Shea Langeliers and Junior Caminero. This year’s starting lineup will also include Bobby Witt Jr., a pair of New York Yankee sluggers in Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice, and Riley Greene.

The 30-year-old Clement entered the All-Star break with the third-most hits (106) among AL batters, trailing only Alvarez and Yandy Díaz — both of whom are tied for first with 111 each. He’s enjoying arguably the best offensive performance of his career, hitting .296/.318/.433 with a 108 wRC+ (100 league average) across 93 games, and is on pace for 14 home runs — a new career-high.

Sitting alongside Schneider as he officially unveiled the AL’s starting lineup was Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease, another first-timer at this event — as is fellow All-Star Louis Varland — who was named the starting pitcher by his skipper on Sunday.

Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez will oppose Cease, starting for the NL in front of a sell-out home crowd in the City of Brotherly Love.

Many figured it’d be Yankees young phenom Cam Schlittler — the leading favourite for this season’s AL Cy Young Award — who’d receive that honour. But as Schneider told reporters ahead of Sunday’s series finale against the San Diego Padres, it would’ve been Cease “regardless” if Schlittler were available.

Clement, Cease and Varland are all expected to appear during Tuesday’s All-Star Game.

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