Encarnacion flattered by Ortiz's pitch to join Red Sox
David Ortiz played in the last All-Star game of his career on Tuesday, going 0-for-1 with a walk before being replaced on the basepaths by Toronto Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion in the game's third inning amid a tremendous ovation.
It may not be the last time Encarnacion replaces Ortiz, however, as Big Papi lobbied for the Boston Red Sox to bring his Dominican countryman aboard next season in post-game comments.
"The Red Sox know that they need to reinforce the middle of the lineup," Ortiz told reporters. "And sorry Blue Jays, but who better than Encarnacion to do that?"
Upon learning of Ortiz's desire to have him come to Boston as his replacement, Encarnacion was flattered.
"It surprised me," Encarnacion admitted. "But I feel great because people like David Ortiz are thinking about me like that ... I don’t think about that, and after the season, I’m going to see what’s going to happen."
The 33-year-old Encarnacion will be a free agent at the end of the season, and with similar power numbers to Ortiz since 2012, he could be the right candidate to replace the retiring slugger.
Since 2012
| PLAYER | HR | RBI | .SLG |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Ortiz | 147 | 447 | .573 |
| Edwin Encarnacion | 174 | 503 | .548 |
Although Ortiz has lobbied for him since the beginning of the year - and despite the pair being close friends - Encarnacion has been committed to not speaking about his plans for the future while he plays for the Blue Jays.
"I don’t know what I can say about that," Encarnacion told WEEI’s Rob Bradford in April when asked what he thought about an Ortiz proposal to have him come to Boston. "I just can say that the career that David has had in Boston is unbelievable and something everybody is going to remember about him. He’s had an amazing career. He looks like he’s ready, too, this year. I’m happy for him.
"I just didn’t want to talk during the season, and concentrate on my team, winning games and my year. That’s why I told them I didn’t want to talk any more when the season started. I wanted to concentrate 100 percent, and I didn’t want any distractions talking about the contract. I wanted to enjoy my season and see what happens."