He’s more expendable than ever in Toronto following Brett Lawrie’s arrival, but Edwin Encarnacion, who has been tearing it up for the Jays for more than two months, could be a nice piece for a contender this month.
Encarnacion was the Toronto offense last night, going 2-for-2 with a homer and two walks in a 4-1 loss to the A’s. He’s hitting .435 in August and .336 since the beginning of July. In fact, he’s been pretty hot for about 10 weeks now, with a .310 average, nine homers and a 30/20 K/BB ratio in 181 at-bats since June 1. He’s slugging .541 over that timeframe.
With Jose Bautista back in the outfield, the Jays can have Travis Snider and Eric Thames split time between left field and DH in Encarnacion’s place. Snider was sent back to the minors last week to make room for Lawrie on the roster.
Encarnacion probably wouldn’t clear waivers because of the streak he’s on, but he could be traded to the first team that claims him. That might be Cleveland, who would have room for him as a part-time first baseman and DH. The Angels and Yankees are others that could use his right-handed bat.
