Ernie Clement is out again, and John Schneider's effort to protect him is starting to look like a bigger Blue Jays problem.
Clement was held out of Tuesday's starting lineup against Houston because of a hip issue, with Schneider saying the club was “trying to get ahead of it” on a quick turnaround and did not want him to “take a step back.” He was still available off the bench.
That explanation makes sense for one day. It gets tougher to shrug off when the same injury keeps pulling him off the lineup card every few days.
This is already a pattern now, not a one-off breather. Clement missed 2 straight games against the Cubs with left hip soreness before returning Sunday, then found himself back out of the lineup again Tuesday.
That is where the concern starts to creep in for Toronto. A player can be “available” off the bench and still not be right enough to handle the grind of playing every day.
And Clement is not some extra piece the Blue Jays can hide for a week. Through 75 games, he has hit .292/.311/.440 with 7 home runs, 28 RBI, and 2 steals.
-
Toronto can't afford a compromised Ernie Clement
That stat line matters because Clement has become one of the club's steadiest bats, not just a utility infielder filling gaps. When he is out, Toronto loses contact, energy, and one of the few hitters who has kept the lineup moving.
The bigger issue is how these nagging injuries tend to work. They do not always force an injured-list move right away. Sometimes they just keep chipping away at availability until a player is either limited or finally has to stop.
Schneider's wording pointed straight at that risk. Saying the Blue Jays did not want Clement to “take a step back” tells you this is less about one day's soreness and more about preventing the hip from turning into something that lingers deeper into the summer.
That is a real concern for a team still trying to climb over .500 and searching for enough offense most nights. Toronto can survive a day without Clement. It gets much harder if this turns into an every-other-game issue.
There is also the style of player to think about. Clement's value comes from being on the field, moving around the infield, grinding through at-bats, and giving Schneider flexibility. A hip problem cuts right into all of that.
For now, the Blue Jays are calling it caution. Fair enough. But once a player keeps missing time on and off over a couple of weeks with the same issue, caution starts to look a lot like worry.
Is Ernie Clement's hip issue becoming a real concern for the Blue Jays?
Also read on Blue Jays Insider :
Blue Jays DFA pitcher and announce multiple roster moves
