Cleveland Indians: Edwin Encarnacion Nearing Official Introduction

Edwin Encarnacion is set to officially become a member of the Cleveland Indians on Thursday, given he passes his physical on Wednesday.

The Cleveland Indians announced the signing of Edwin Encarnacion as an early Christmas present, and it is finally about to become official.

Encarnacion is in Cleveland and ready to become an official member of the Indians, given he passes the physical he has today. This is a routine process, so there should be no paranoia attached to the results of the physical, as the man has been a durable player throughout his career.

The official announcement won’t capture the excitement that came when the news broke on the up-to-the-second platform that is Twitter. The casual tweets about nothing instantly turned into rumors about the slugger headed to Cleveland. Then the rumors turned into fact and we all dreaded the fact Opening Day is so far away.

But a simple doctor’s checkup will allow Encarnacion to take his place as the focal point of an Indians lineup that was among the best in baseball in 2016. He is set to not only fill Mike Napoli‘s role from last season, but to be even better.

Encarnacion will be receiving the largest contract in team history, so the spotlight is going to be on him all season. This will especially be true at the beginning of the season, but no one should panic if he gets off to a slow start. Even if the team finishes April with a .500 record, the first month of the season will only be the start of another great year.

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There is too much talent on the roster for the Indians to have a sub par season in 2017, and the addition of Encarnacion only makes them more of a favorite to once again return to the postseason. And after a few weeks of waiting, the addition is nearly official.