The next time Edwin Encarnacion steps up to the plate, he’ll do so as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News reported Thursday that the first baseman has finished his rehabilitation stint with the triple-A Buffalo Bisons and is headed to Chicago, where the Blue Jays open a weekend series against the White Sox Friday.
“He looks fine. I think the determining factor really is how much they need his bat in the lineup right now,” manager Gary Allenson told the News Thursday. “Is he 100 percent healthy? I don’t really know. Maybe not. But that’s not going to be the point right now. Getting that bat in the lineup that drives in the runs is what you need.”
Encarnacion missed more than a month with a strained quadriceps muscle, but he was having an extremely productive season before the injury with 26 home runs and a .959 OPS in 88 games.
It’s not yet clear who will be removed from Toronto’s roster to create room for Encarnacion.
