2 Blue Jays players who've earned more playing time, 1 who deserves less

Ernie Clement is once again showing why he needs more playing time.

Ernie Clement is going to take on an outsized role with this squad if he keeps proving it on the field.
In 2024, Clement had a great spring training in which he displayed a great offensive profile. With shortstop Bo Bichette sitting two games due to neck spasms, Clement got into two games during the Rays series and picked up a couple of base hits. Most impressive was the power he displayed at Yankee Stadium by breaking a scoreless tie with a home run in the Bronx home opener.

Toronto is Clement's third team and he turned in a solid season last year in Canada. He posted a .380 batting average, .885 OPS and 10 RBI in just 29 games. Clement has made massive strides since being acquired on a minor league contract almost two years ago and should continue to be rewarded for that. Clement is the kind of player who plays the game loosely and that can be a benefit for a club with too many hitters pressing at the plate.

He has produced two highlight defensive plays in a small sample so far. The first was at third base with the Rays batting and the bases loaded. Ranging over to his right, he snagged a ball ticketed for extra bases and dove toward third base to record the final out of the inning. In a game where Yusei Kikuchi clearly didn't possess his best stuff, Clement put on his best Matt Chapman impression. In the final Rays game, he made a tremendous throw on the move from shortstop to gun down Ben Rortvedt that put a smile on everyone's face.

Clement can get plenty of playing time with a club that still has so many question marks around the two infield spots not occupied by Bo Bichette or Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The play of Clement bears monitoring particularly if Isiah Kiner-Falefa keeps playing an uninspiring brand of baseball.