Indians' Encarnacion surprised Bautista remains unsigned

Edwin Encarnacion played parts of eight seasons with Jose Bautista as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, so it's no wonder he's still got his former teammate's back.

Bautista became a free agent after a disappointing 2017 campaign, and still hasn't found a baseball home for 2018. It's left Encarnacion bewildered.

"The player he is, he doesn’t deserve that," he told Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith before Friday's game between the Blue Jays and Encarnacion's Cleveland Indians. "It surprises me that he doesn’t have a job yet."

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He added that he spoke with Bautista on Wednesday, and that the free-agent outfielder is continuing to work out in hopes of playing this season.

To Encarnacion, teams passing on the 37-year-old veteran are missing out on an opportunity to have a positive influence in the clubhouse, particularly for less experienced players on a roster.

"To have a guy like Jose Bautista, you learn a lot from him," Encarnacion said. "He’s a very smart player, a smart hitter, and he can help a lot of young players, too. To have him next to me as my teammate, he’s helped me a lot."

Friday was Encarnacion's first game against his old team in 2018. He enjoyed facing the Blue Jays in 2017, batting .368/.571/.579 with a home run and five RBIs in six games.