Cleveland Indians: 5 internal options to replace Cesar Hernandez at second

Ernie Clement, UTIL, Cleveland Indians

Out of all the players on this list, Ernie Clement is the only one that was on Cleveland’s active roster at the time of the Hernandez trade. Serving as a true utility man, Clement has been holding his own in the majors and given his position at the time of the trade might get a significant early look.

Starting a total of 15 games in Cleveland, Clement has logged nine at third and six at second with his one major league error being at second base. As for at the plate, he’s doing what most would probably expect from a utility infielder who hasn’t really drawn a lot of hype. Through 58 official at-bats, he’s slashing .224/.286/.259 with a pair of doubles of four RBI.

Those numbers aren’t great, so if Clement wants to get more playing time he will have to show improvement. Being in Cleveland already could help him, but it could also hurt him. He might not have as long of a leash as some of the other players since he’s been up for a bit. He won’t have any sort of adjustment period cushion.

Clement won’t be the long-term answer, but he can be a short-term band-aid. If Cleveland needs a dozen or so starts while they evaluate their options, then Clement can fill that need.