In terms of making an impression, Ernie Clement is staking his claim to be a viable option again for the Blue Jays next season.
It’s yet to be determined whether Clement is an everyday player, but he has clearly shown he belongs, even coming off the bench as a super-utility infielder and outfielder.
The same could be said for Spencer Horwitz as well as, to some extent, Alejandro Kirk.
Of the three, the only player, at this point, projected to be a starter is Kirk in the absence of no other legitimate candidate at the catcher position.
So, with so many moves and decisions to be made this off-season, every opportunity must be seized over the final month and a half of this lost Jays season.
Witness Thursday night’s 5-3 Jays win in their series opener against the visiting L.A. Angels.
Clement, batting .272 for the season now, greeted reliever Mike Baumann with his 10th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the second inning, tomahawking a pitch that elevated above his shoulder height.
It was Clement’s third long ball in as many games and fourth in his past seven. Going into this season, he had four career homers in 140 games.
All five Toronto runs came in that second inning, while all three of L.A.’s came in the ninth inning when Tommy Nance served up a two-out, three-run belt by rookie Niko Kavadas.
Horwitz, meanwhile, has a knack for making solid contact and working pitchers in every at-bat, two areas to his game that continued, while Kirk threw out a runner attempting to steal second and recorded two doubles.
Opener Ryan Burr started the second inning, but was lifted for veteran swingman Ryan Yarbrough after giving up a leadoff single to Jo Adell.
Yarbrough turned in, by far, his finest appearance with the Blue Jays in pitching five scoreless innings.
SECOND HELPINGS
Thursday’s second inning saw the Jays hit for the collective cycle in sending 11 batters to the plate. There were five runs scored on one single, three doubles, one triple, the Clement home run and an intentional walk.
Horwitz triggered the blitz with a double to centre field. He also ended the inning when he grounded out.
In between, Kirk doubled home Horwitz, Joey Loperfido showcased his speed when he sent a ball into the right-centre gap that eluded a diving Adell for a three-bagger, and Will Wagner once again showcased his contact ability when he stroked an RBI single into centre.
BO’S RETURN
Barring an injury setback — which can’t be dismissed given his injury-plagued season — Bo Bichette is inching closer to returning.
As early as last season, Bichette was viewed by many as the face of the Blue Jays franchise, a mantle Vladimir Guerrero Jr. currently occupies. Times, clearly, have changed, in part due to Bichette’s under-whelming performance when he was healthy as well as his constant battle with the injury bug.
When Bichette last played for the Blue Jays, it was back on July 19 before he was placed on the injured list because of a calf strain.
At the time, he was hitting .223 with just four home runs.
The good news is that Bichette has started running again. He’ll remain in Dunedin to continue his recovery, but Bichette is then scheduled to hook up with the Blue Jays when the team visits Boston next week and will remain with the club through its trip to Minneapolis before returning home.
He will likely need a rehab assignment in triple-A, however, before rejoining the Jays lineup.
POWER OF PILLAR
Kevin Pillar entered Thursday’s game for Mickey Moniak after the Angels’ starting centre fielder was hit by a pitch in the top of the fourth inning.
In the home half, it was Pillar in centre in an area he once called home when he wowed Jays fans at the Rogers Centre with his highlight-reel catches.
Pillar has hinted this might be his final season in baseball. If it indeed turns out to be the end, Pillar’s visit to Toronto will be his final one.
When he stepped into the box with two outs in the sixth inning, fans warmly applauded Pillar, who has now played for nine different teams.
DONNY BASEBALL
There’s no timeline for his return, but Don Mattingly, the team’s offensive co-ordinator, underwent shoulder surgery on Tuesday in Cleveland. He’s at home recovering, but is to rejoin the team soon.
The offensive co-ordinator title has been mocked by many, a coaching position normally reserved for football.
It’s no secret part of the Jays’ struggles this season has rested on the shoulders of their offence.
Regardless of title, the cleanup role is one of many deficiencies the franchise must finally address this off-season.
Bichette, in fact, ended a dubious drought when he went deep from the cleanup hole on May 22 against the Chicago White Sox. That was the first homer by a Blue Jays cleanup hitter in 2024, ending a streak of 47 straight games without one.
According to MLB, Toronto had the longest such drought to begin a season since the 1997 Houston Astros went 60 games without a homer from the cleanup hole.