Jose Bautista tweeted Friday that the ankle he injured in Thursday night’s game against the Yankees is “feeling much better,” and the hope is that he’ll return in a couple of days.
“Optimistically, we’re thinking Sunday. If not, it could possibly be Tuesday,” manager John Farrell told the National Post.
The Jays don’t play Monday, so expect them to give him that extra day off Sunday unless he insists on getting back in there.
With Bautista out, Edwin Encarnacion is starting at third base tonight.
It’s not a DL-type situation for MLB’s home run leader, so don’t expect to see Brett Lawrie come up and step in at third base. Lawrie just began a rehab assignment at Single-A Dunedin on Thursday, and he’s going to need a couple of weeks to regain his swing in the minors before he’ll be a candidate for the big-league roster.