Report: Encarnacion intends to play in 2021 after down season

Free-agent first baseman/designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion intends to play in 2021 after struggling through the abbreviated 2020 campaign, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Encarnacion hit .157/.250/.377 in 44 games with the Chicago White Sox this past summer. The 37-year-old did demonstrate some remaining pop in his bat with 10 home runs, but his .627 OPS would have been a career low if extended across a full season.

The White Sox declined a $12-million option for Encarnacion following the campaign, sending the veteran slugger back to the open market.

A three-time All-Star with the Toronto Blue Jays, Encarnacion owns a career batting line of .260/.350/.496 with 424 home runs and 1,261 RBIs over 16 major-league seasons split between six teams.