TORONTO -- Ernie Clement is out of the Blue Jays’ starting lineup Tuesday against the Astros as he deals with a minor hip issue, but he could still be available off the bench later in the game.
The American League’s leading vote-getter for the All-Star Game, Clement has carried his sensational 2025 postseason into the ‘26 season as one of the most important players on this roster, batting .293 with a .753 OPS. Only Shohei Ohtani has more All-Star votes than Clement, the fan favorite who’s wrangled the power of Canada’s voters.
Clement has dealt with this nagging hip issue on and off recently, and while it’s never risen to the point of threatening Clement with an IL stint, the Blue Jays still want to stay out in front of this and make sure it doesn’t grow into anything more serious.
In Clement’s place, veteran infielder Luis Urías will make his Blue Jays debut after being acquired from the D-backs recently for cash considerations. Urías was off to a hot start in Triple-A with Arizona, and he now has a chance to balance out the Blue Jays’ roster, which has been tilted more heavily toward outfielders for much of the season.
Clement tends to hit all over the Blue Jays’ lineup, but without him in the starting nine Tuesday, manager John Schneider gets Vladimir Guerrero Jr. back into the No. 2 spot, where he’s long preferred his star hitter, as Toronto tries to get him rolling.