The Toronto Blue Jays have one of the most valuable players in the league in Ernie Clement. While the 30-year-old typically plays second base, he has the ability to move all over the infield and play the position at an elite level, which has been especially valuable for Toronto.
He is also an excellent hitter. Across 74 games, he has posted a .294 batting average, .313 on-base percentage, .756 OPS, seven home runs and 28 RBIs.
Clement was held out of the lineup for a second straight day Saturday, continuing to battle left hip soreness.
Fortunately, a positive sign appeared in the later innings when Clement was inserted as a pinch-hitter for Andres Gimenez in the top of the seventh, signaling the injury is not serious.
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Still, the Blue Jays do not have many quality depth infielders aside from Clement, something the team realized during his brief absence.
As a result, they made a trade after Saturday's comeback win against the Chicago Cubs. A report from Mitch Bannon of The Athletic confirmed that Toronto had acquired Luis Urias from the Arizona Diamondbacks for cash considerations.
After initially reporting that Urias would head to Triple-A, an updated report revealed he will actually join the major-league roster. Urias had an upward mobility clause in his contract allowing him to force his way to the big leagues, which he has decided to use.
Urias has produced at Triple-A this season, posting a .347 batting average, .385 on-base percentage, .893 OPS, three home runs and 19 RBIs with Arizona's Triple-A affiliate.
He also possesses the same infield flexibility as Clement, able to play second base, shortstop and third base. He will serve as an effective replacement for Clement if he were ever to go down with a more serious setback.
With the Blue Jays looking to start stacking wins and prove they are capable of returning to the World Series for a second straight year, adding more depth pieces will only help their cause.
