Blue Jays Rumors: 3 players who won’t be on the roster by the trade deadline

Blue Jays who won’t survive the deadline: Ernie Clement

Yes, this one isn’t exactly shocking. Ernie Clement has just seven at-bats with the Jays so far, and he’s hitting .429. Perhaps his best moment in a Toronto uniform came on the mound, though, as he saved the Blue Jays from exhausting their bullpen in a blowout defeat to the Miami Marlins. Clement brought out his best knuckler, and gave up three hits and a run.

"Per Yahoo, “there was more to Clement’s appearance than the box score reveals. It was made special by the fact he featured a 53.3 mph knuckleball. The pitch was not notably effective, but in 2023 it’s remarkable to see an offering that has become unbelievably rare in recent years…Now, Clement’s knuckler is not a pitch that could be described as an effective one. Of those 15 knuckleballs, 11 have been called balls, three have gone for hits — including a home run — and one resulted in a ground-ball double play.”"

So, Clement isn’t about to become a two-way player anytime soon. He’s a “break-glass-in-case-of-emergency pitcher,” and most notably a third-string or worse infielder. Basically, there’s not much room for him on the Toronto roster unless someone else is injured.

Clement is a journeyman, and the smart money is on him remaining that way after the trade deadline. The Jays have too much talent on their infield.