Ernie Clement took a ball to the groin against the Royals yesterday, and John Schneider sounds optimistic.
The manager said he hopes and expects Clement can be back in the lineup tomorrow.
"Hurts in the moment for sure," Schneider said, a pretty understandable reaction to that kind of impact.
That tone suggests this is more of a painful scare than a real injury concern.
Clement has been a steady presence in Toronto's lineup all season, appearing in 122 games with 123 hits, nine home runs, and 42 RBIs.
He's also been hot lately, picking up eight hits over his last 10 games.
Losing him for even a night or two would sting for a lineup that's leaned on his contact and consistency all year.
Why every healthy body matters right now for Toronto
Schneider's tone here is a lot more measured than some of the recent injury scares this team has dealt with.
Toronto has already navigated absences involving Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Andres Gimenez, and Brett Bateman over the past few weeks.
Adding Clement to that list, even briefly, would have stretched an already thin margin for error during a playoff push.
A one-day absence, or none at all, is about the best outcome the Blue Jays could hope for out of a scare like this.
There's no word yet on whether Clement will need any additional testing beyond how he feels tomorrow morning.
For now, "expects him back" is about as reassuring a phrase as a manager can offer after a moment like that.
Toronto will find out for sure once the lineup card comes out before tomorrow's game.
Do you think Ernie Clement is back in the Blue Jays' lineup tomorrow as Schneider expects?
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