Article: What Will Andrés Giménez’s Return Mean for Ernie Clement?

[Jesse Burrill]

Trading for Andrés Giménez was the first real impact move the Blue Jays made this past offseason, acquiring him and RHP Nick Sandlin from the Guardians in exchange for Spencer Horwitz and outfield prospect Nick Mitchell.

The Blue Jays acquiring Giménez really shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise. The Jays have been one of the best defensive teams in the league over the last few seasons, and Giménez added to an already elite defence. From 2022-2024, his 59 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) were the best in baseball, while his 49 Outs Above Average trailed only Dansby Swanson for the best among qualified players over that time. It's no wonder he won the Gold Glove in three straight seasons.

In addition, the Blue Jays believed they could get more out of his bat than what he had shown in the last few seasons. His OPS+ dropped from 141 in 2022, when he was an All-Star and finished sixth in MVP voting, down to 96 in 2023 and 81 in 2024. For context, 100 is league average.

At the time of the trade, Ross Atkins said, “Everything about him was attractive. The work we did on his bat and the offensive impact that can be there” (via Keegan Matheson). And while Giménez's .195/.273/.305 season slash line and 65 OPS+ to date leave you wanting more, there is no question he is going to be a key part of this team going forward.

Giménez has been out of the lineup since May 7 with a strained quad but has now begun a rehab assignment. In his first rehab game, he went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk. He is expected to be back with the Blue Jays before too long, presuming no setbacks.

The assumption is that Giménez will return and be the everyday second baseman once he is ready to go. The question then becomes, what happens with the rest of the roster once he returns?

When Giménez was sent to the IL, Michael Stefanic was called up. He has appeared in eight games, mostly at second base, but hasn't produced much with just three hits, all singles. He’s the most likely candidate to be sent down.

Where it becomes trickier is figuring out what the Blue Jays can do with Ernie Clement. He has played in all 19 games since Giménez's injury, starting mostly at second, but has seen time at shortstop, third base, and first base as well. During this stretch, he’s hit a modest .273/.338/.333 with a home run and a stolen base.

Where things get really interesting with Clement is that he’s got some very extreme platoon splits:

• vs. LHP: 15-44 (.341), 1 HR, 6 BB, 6 K, with a 173 wRC+
• vs. RHP: 22-107 (.206), 1 HR, 4 BB, 17 K with a 29 wRC+

It makes the most sense to have Clement get into the lineup against LHP, and probably should be on the bench, or very low in the order against RHP.

You could make the argument that you could just platoon Clement and Giménez at second base, as Giménez does hit better against RHP than LHP (82 wRC+ vs righties, and 36 wRC+ vs lefties in 2025), and I'm sure some of that will happen, but Giménez was an everyday player while on the field this year, and it's likely that will continue.

Ernie does have the option to back up Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at 1st base, or Bo Bichette at short stop, and the latter may be coming true, as Bo had the day off on Wednesday with “a little lower back tightness.” although initial reports say Bichette has been feeling better, the Blue Jays are being “extra careful.”

The next logical option means that Ernie steps in and plays a lot more third base. A space that Addison Barger has been in, and he has an .853 OPS since the Giménez injury, which trails only Alejandro Kirk for the best on the team.

Ernie’s value doesn't come entirely from his bat; his best tool, aside from his versatility, has got to be his glove, and it has been excellent again this season. In terms of baseball Savant's Outs above Average, Ernie Clement is second in all of baseball.


With someone who adds so much defensive value, it's hard to justify leaving that player on the bench, too, and he is clearly adding value, whether or not the bat is producing.

The Blue Jays should look to use Clement as a mostly everyday role, bouncing between Infield positions, and could look to give Vlad and Bo more DH days, or this could force Addison Barger back to RF, and use Springer in left, or give him some more DH days. Either way, it seems like Nathan Lukes would lose more playing time in this scenario, and he’s holding his own so far this season (.768 OPS with 4 HRs). So that might not be the best course of action.

The other move that may happen is maybe the Blue Jays finally bite the bullet and give Anthony Santander an IL Trip to deal with some shoulder/hip issues that he’s been dealing with. Earlier on Wednesday Keegan Matheson reported that Santanders' issues are limiting his big swings in hope to make more contact, but contact was never Santanders' game, and the Blue Jays need him to be more of a home run threat as aside from a few exceptions, the Blue Jays don't have a many people who have the home run upside that Santander has. In doing this, it gives Santander time to rest, reflect, and heal, and also opens up more DH at-bats for the rest of the roster. The Blue Jays have had opportunities to put Santander on the IL already and have refused to do so, so unless something else comes up, this might not be the route the Blue Jays go.

Either way, it shouldn't take too long, but Giménez's return to the lineup may move things around more than originally expected, and is likely the biggest change since Daulton Varsho returned to the lineup at the end of April. His return is likely to  shake up the playing time for more people than just Ernie Clement, and that's pretty important for the Toronto Blue Jays going forward. 

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