Chicago White Sox: Will we see Edwin Encarnacion this series?

Will the Chicago White Sox use Edwin Encarnacion this series?

The Chicago White Sox might need all of the offense they can get in game two. The Oakland A’s are starting their best pitcher in Chris Bassitt so the White Sox might have a tough time. They have Dallas Keuchel on the mound so runs might be hard to come by for both sides. Can the White Sox use Edwin Encarnacion to their advantage in this game or potentially in this series? It has been a weird season for the veteran designated hitter so you never truly know.

The answer to the question is probably no. He had ten homers which are a 27 home run pace over 162 games which isn’t bad for an old guy but outside of that, he has been pretty brutal at the plate. When you are paid to do nothing but hit the ball you should probably do it and he hasn’t done it. He has had a tremendous career but it seems like the best days are in his past.

For the DH spot, it is better to use whoever isn’t catching. Zack Collins is on the roster so he can be the backup defensive catcher if one of James McCann or Yasmani Grandal can be the guy to DH. Both of them are very good hitters and have been known to be clutch. McCann caught in game one while Grandal was the DH so you can expect the roles to be reversed in today’s game.

That doesn’t leave much room for Edwin Encarnacion. The only way I could see him making an impact is if the coach saw someone really struggling at the plate and needed a fresh set of eyes to have a chance. Encarnacion has been extremely timely in the playoffs before so that might be an excuse to give him a late-game at-bat or two. It isn’t great to see him in this spot but you have to do what is right for the team in the playoffs.