The Toronto Blue Jays are running back a familiar order tonight against the Chicago White Sox, looking to avoid a two-game slide right out of the break.
Ernie Clement leads off at second base, and he's earning that spot every night, hitting .296 with a .293 average over his last 10 games.
Nathan Lukes bats second in right field at .288 on the season, setting the table ahead of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who slots in at first base batting third.
Guerrero enters at .259 with six home runs, still searching for more consistency after a first game back from the break that produced hard contact but little else.
George Springer bats cleanup as designated hitter, sitting at .218 with nine homers, a spot that puts real pressure on him to deliver more thump.
Kazuma Okamoto follows at third base, and his 22 home runs lead every position player in this lineup even with a modest .239 average.
Daulton Varsho bats sixth in center field, his .244 season average dragged down by a rough .114 mark over his last 10 games.
Bottom of the order features two hot bats
Alejandro Kirk catches and bats seventh at .202, a tough season for the backstop that hasn't shown much sign of turning yet.
Andres Gimenez rounds out the middle infield at shortstop batting eighth, hitting .232 on the year with seven home runs of his own.
Jonatan Clase bats ninth in left field, and he's been on fire in his limited look, hitting .353 with two home runs early in his time with the club.
It's a lineup that reads like two different stories stitched together, established veterans searching for consistency and a young bat riding a hot streak nobody expected this soon.
Does batting Clase ninth actually make sense given his early production, or does his spot in the order simply reflect a lack of at-bats to fully judge yet?
Toronto sits at 45-51, last in the American League East, and tonight's lineup card carries real weight after John Schneider's message about needing more slug from this group.
Should Jonatan Clase be hitting higher in the order given his hot start?
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