Slight change of plans for Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion

The Toronto Blue Jays have been trying to rush injured sluggers Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion back into a line-up that has struggled to score runs of late. Initially, that meant that Lind was expected to rejoin the Blue Jays prior to Monday’s game in Seattle and Encarnacion perhaps later in the week.

Well, plans have changed a bit.

A 19-inning affair that taxed the bullpen is the likely culprit behind Lind’s delay. Needing a fresh arm in the bullpen and not wanting to punish any of the guys that carried the team in that victory, the Blue Jays optioned infielder Ryan Goins on Sunday night. However, instead of activating Lind, Toronto instead recalled Brad Mills to suck up innings in case Drew Hutchison can’t last deeper into the game.

One night of rest will likely do it for the bullpen, meaning that Mills will likely be designated for assignment on Tuesday with Lind expected to be activated prior to the game. Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com confirmed earlier this evening that Lind is already en route to Seattle.

As for Edwin Encarnacion, Chisholm also tweets that Jose Bautista‘s bodyguard is stepping up his rehab and heading to join the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Tuesday, and then will be activated for Friday’s series opener in Chicago against the White Sox.

The Blue Jays have truly missed Edwin Encarnacion. The slugger has been out since coming out of a July 5th game with a strained right quadriceps muscle. The 31-year-old was in the middle of a career year, slashing .277/.368/.591 with 26 home runs and 70 RBI in 88 games.