Encarnacion has continued working out every day in hopes of signing with a MLB team, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.
Encarnacion batted .157/.250/.377 last season after hitting 30-plus homers for eight straight seasons from 2012 to 2019. At age 38, he hasn't found a team willing to bet that last year was an aberration. He may need to wait until the Triple-A season begins in May before signing with a team to add depth and prove he can still play in the majors.
The White Sox declined Encarnacion's $12 million club option for 2021 on Friday.
It's not an overly surprising move, as no buyout was required and the veteran slugger posted a career-worst .627 OPS despite hitting 10 home runs in 2020. Encarnacion had 30-plus homers and an OPS over .800 in each of the previous eight seasons and figures to receive another opportunity, but he may not begin 2021 with guarantees of an everyday role.
White Sox's Edwin Encarnacion: On bench again for Game 3
Rotowire
Encarnacion returns to the bench for Game 3 of the Wild Card Round against Oakland on Thursday.
Encarnacion started Game 2 on Wednesday, but that will wind up being his only start of the series. Eloy Jimenez returns from a sprained foot to serve as the designated hitter.
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White Sox's Edwin Encarnacion: On bench for Game 1
Rotowire
Encarnacion is not in the lineup for the first game of the Wild Card Round against the Athletics on Tuesday.
Encarnacion had quite a disappointing season at the plate, hitting just .157/.250/.377 in 180 plate appearances. Yasmani Grandal will be the designated hitter Tuesday, with James McCann starting behind the plate.
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White Sox's Edwin Encarnacion: Reaches double-digit homers
Rotowire
Encarnacion went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and three strikeouts in Sunday's loss to the Reds.
It was a microcosm of Encarnacion's season -- he ran into one, but there were too many empty swings. The 37-year-old's strikeout rate is now over 30 percent on the season, up from 21.2 percent last season and roughly double his rate from his prime years in Toronto.
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White Sox's Edwin Encarnacion: Belts ninth homer
Rotowire
Encarnacion went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Twins.
Encarnacion hit a solo home run to left field in the fifth inning, marking his ninth homer and 17th RBI of the season. He's slashing .172/.271/.426 over 34 games in 2020.
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White Sox's Edwin Encarnacion: Expected to play Thursday
Rotowire
Encarnacion is expected to return to the lineup Thursday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
Encarnacion was held out of Wednesday's lineup, the third time in the last four games he's been rested, but manager Rick Renteria said the slugger will be in the lineup Thursday and the days following. "You might see him for the next five, six, seven days," Renteria said. "We're trying to do everything we can to get everybody on track." Encarnacion is an outlier in Chicago's productive lineup, posting a career-low .668 OPS while batting .168.
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White Sox's Edwin Encarnacion: Losing time amid season-long slump
Rotowire
Encarnacion is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Twins.
Encarnacion will sit for the third time in four games, allowing Jose Abreu to pick up a start at designated hitter. The Chicago lineup has been a juggernaut this season, but Encarnacion hasn't contributed much to the team's success, batting a career-worst .168 while striking out 30.1 percent of the time, a rise of nearly nine percentage points from his 2019 mark. Encarnacion could be limited to more of a part-time role down the stretch, with manager Rick Renteria instead rotating a number of regulars in the DH spot to give them days out of the field.
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White Sox's Edwin Encarnacion: Back to bench Tuesday
Rotowire
Encarnacion is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Twins.
He has started just nine games this month, hitting .152 with two home runs over that stretch. Yasmani Grandal is starting at designated hitter and batting third.
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White Sox's Edwin Encarnacion: Heads to bench Sunday
Rotowire
Encarnacion is not in Sunday's lineup against the Tigers.
He is hitting .172 with two home runs and 10 strikeouts in 29 at-bats this month. Jose Abreu starts at DH and will hit third.
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White Sox's Edwin Encarnacion: Not in Wednesday's lineup
Rotowire
Encarnacion is not starting Wednesday against Pittsburgh.
Encarnacion sits for the second time in the last four games. His .176/.274/.435 slash line this season is well below his typical standards. Jose Abreu will rest his legs as the designated hitter Wednesday, with Yasmani Grandal moving out to first base and James McCann entering the lineup behind the plate.
Encarnacion went 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBI in Sunday's 8-2 win over Kansas City.
Encarnacion broke open a close game with a three-run blast in the seventh inning and tacked on another RBI in the eighth. It was his eighth homer in 29 games. He's hitting just .168 but has made an impact with 12 of his 19 hits going for extra bases.
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White Sox's Edwin Encarnacion: Not in Saturday's lineup
Rotowire
Encarnacion isn't in the lineup Saturday against the Royals.
Encarnacion has been slumping recently as he hit .111 with a home run, four runs, two RBI and six strikeouts over the past five games. He'll take a breather Saturday as Jose Abreu rests his legs as the designated hitter.
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White Sox's Edwin Encarnacion: Homers in win
Rotowire
Encarnacion went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and another run scored during Thursday's victory over Kansas City.
The 37-year-old slugger evened the score at 1-1 with a solo home run off Danny Duffy in the second inning. It was the seventh long ball of the season for Encarnacion, who is averaging just .173/.264/.429 across 28 games.
