Blue Jays slugger Encarnacion out of lineup for third straight game

TORONTO – Toronto Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion remained out of Wednesday’s starting lineup for a third straight game with a sore left middle finger.

Encarnacion originally injured the finger during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Rogers Centre on July 28 and reaggravated it on a swing in Saturday’s game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

The Blue Jays designated hitter/first baseman hopes to be ready for Thursday’s series finale against Oakland.

“I’m going to take one more day and see how (it feels) tomorrow,” Encarnacion said prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Athletics.

The 32-year-old Encarnacion is batting .251 with 21 home runs and 64 runs batted in through 104 games for Toronto this season.

Over his last 16 games, he’s batted .356, including an 11-game hit streak, and driven in 10 runs.

“That’s why I’m a little frustrated,” Encarnacion said of the timing of the injury. “The way I’ve been swinging the bat the last couple weeks, I’ve been swinging it good, my timing was getting better and now I have to deal with my finger.”

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons was also optimistic that Encarnacion could play by Thursday.

“He made contact and he jarred it and swelled up his finger pretty good so it’s pretty sensitive,” Gibbons said, adding that the injury wasn’t worrisome enough to land Encarnacion on the disabled list. “Hopefully another day (off) and it’ll get rid of it.”