George Springer has John Schneider reworking the top of Toronto's lineup after the Blue Jays lost their regular leadoff man to a fractured toe.
That is the real fallout from Springer's injury. Toronto did not just lose an everyday bat. It lost the hitter who had been setting the table at the top of the order all season.
Springer had been leading off in the Blue Jays' recent posted lineups, with Daulton Varsho hitting second and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. batting third. That structure gave Schneider a clean top three before the injury blew it up.
Now the question is not whether Toronto needs a replacement. It is who gives the lineup the best first at-bat without dragging too much production away from the middle.
Ernie Clement got the first look after Springer went down, and there is a real case for keeping him there. He is hitting .311/.323/.393 with 5 doubles, which gives Schneider a contact-first option who is already seeing the ball well.
Clement also fits the role better than a lot of the other choices because he does not need the leadoff spot to drive in runs. Putting him first lets Toronto keep some of its heavier bats in run-producing lanes.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has the strongest on-base case on pure numbers. He is slashing .321/.446/.434 with 11 walks, but moving him up would take Toronto's best traffic creator out of the middle of the lineup.
Why Ernie Clement may be Schneider's cleanest fix
Andrés Giménez brings another interesting look. He is at .278/.328/.444 with 2 home runs and 1 triple, which gives Schneider more speed and extra-base life if he wants a more aggressive tone at the top.
Jesús Sánchez has a case, too, with a .273/.327/.477 line and 9 RBI. But his profile still plays better a little lower, where one swing can cash in the hitters ahead of him.
The problem for Toronto is that some of the cleaner alternatives are not available. Addison Barger and Alejandro Kirk are both sidelined, which cuts down Schneider's flexibility fast.
Nathan Lukes is in the mix on paper, yet the same SI piece pointed out he has been struggling. That leaves the Blue Jays looking at a shorter list than a healthy roster usually would.
So this is less about finding a perfect answer and more about finding the least disruptive one. Springer's toe injury forced a change, and Clement looks like the option that asks the fewest other hitters to move.
For Schneider, that is the whole challenge now. The Blue Jays do not need a star turn in the leadoff spot as much as they need someone who can get on base, keep the lineup balanced, and stop Springer's injury from breaking two places in the order instead of one.
Should Ernie Clement stay in the Blue Jays leadoff spot while George Springer is out?
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