Ernie Clement is injured.
But the Toronto Blue Jays’ super-utility guy isn’t going on the injured list.
Clement plans to play through the pain, according to The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon.
The injury? A “small hairline fracture” in his hand and some stitches in his leg, per Bannon.
With the Blue Jays chasing big goals as AL East leaders and World Series contenders, Clement evidently doesn’t want to miss out.
The 29-year old infielder is having a great season, too, and probably would love to keep that going.
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The native of Rochester, N.Y. (Brighton High School) and national champion at the University of Virginia already has a career-high in single-season plate appearances and has played all around the dirt of the infield.
He’s currently batting .274 with 25 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 40 RBI and four stolen bases.
Clement has a .705 OPS, which will be the second-best mark of his MLB career behind just a ridiculous hot stretch in a 29-game sample size to end the 2023 season when he first joined the Blue Jays and put up an .885 OPS.
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The batting average has dropped slightly of late for Clement, but he has found a way to deliver in key moments throughout the season.
He’s also been really good against left-handed pitching, which makes the righty-heavy Blue Jays even more of a load for southpaws to handle than they would be without Clement.
Clement is a ballplayer who just loves showing up to the yard each day and taking the field. It’s no shock that he wants to play through an injury that can’t get worse, and the Blue Jays are hopeful they’ll benefit from his presence.
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