David Price has no problem standing in Jose Bautista's corner.

The Boston Red Sox ace admitted Tuesday that while the general public's perception of the slugger may not be entirely favorable - even more so after Sunday's bench-clearing brawl - spending half a season as his Toronto Blue Jays teammate completely flipped Price's first impression of Bautista.

"When you face guys you never get a chance to get around them or to know them on a personal level, and everybody passes judgment," Price told ESPN's Marly Rivera. "I wasn't a huge fan of Bautista, facing him all the years, him hitting all those home runs off me. I wasn't a huge fan of him. But I will endorse that guy now any time."

"He's a great guy and teammate. He works so hard. He comes in every single day with a ton of energy and a desire to win. He's a guy that if he's in the opposing team you may not like him, but he's the guy you want on your team."

Bautista slid hard into Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor on Sunday, prompting an all-out brawl between the two clubs after Odor retaliated by punching the Blue Jays outfielder in the jaw.

Odor received an eight-game suspension and a $5,000 fine for the strike, while Bautista was given a one-game suspension for his role in the incident.

Bautista, however, remains in Tuesday night's lineup against the Tampa Bay Rays as the Jays' slugger will appeal his one-game ban.