Indians slugger Edwin Encarnacion back in lineup for Game 5 vs. Yankees
You often hear that its all-hands-on-deck for elimination games in the MLB postseason. That goes for the Cleveland Indians too. Star slugger Edwin Encarnacion is back in the Indians’ lineup for their do-or-die Game 5 against the New York Yankees on Wednesday night.
Encarnacion turned his ankle pretty bad getting into second base in Game 2 of the series. At the time, he was helped off the field and it looked like his series, if not his postseason, was done. But Encarnacion’s injury wasn’t as bad as it first appeared. He was seen running Tuesday at Progressive Field. And Wednesday, he was officially in manager Terry Francona’s lineup for Game 5, batting cleanup:
Ready to rock. #RallyTogether pic.twitter.com/uqsT58rRCj
— AL Central champs! (@Indians) October 11, 2017
Francona said if he hadn't been looking for it, he wouldn't have noticed anything was wrong w/ Encarnacion when the slugger hit yesterday.
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) October 11, 2017
The Indians have the luxury of Encarnacion being their DH, so the only concern is him running the bases, not chasing down ground balls. The 34-year-old, who signed with Cleveland as a free agent in the offseason, hit 258/.377/.504 with 38 home runs this season.
It would be best for both Encarnacion’s ankle and the Indians’ ALCS prospects if he’s able to hit a couple of homers Wednesday night. A home-run trot being better for his ankle and all.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
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