CLEVELAND—Fifteen minutes after a beatdown of the Seattle Mariners, Drake’s “Pop Style” blares in the Cleveland Indians’ locker room. And while Toronto’s best-known hip-hop artist appears early in the team’s post-win playlist, they’re still waiting for their own high-profile Toronto import to start making hits.

Edwin Encarnacion signed a three-year, $60-million deal with Cleveland last December after seven full seasons and three all-star appearances as a Blue Jay. Cleveland acquired him to drive in runs, but in April he batted just .200 with nine RBIs. In last Sunday’s 12-4 win over Seattle, every Cleveland batter hit safely except Encarnacion, who on Monday faces the Blue Jays for the first time since the club declined to re-sign him after last season.

Encarnacion, who expects a heartfelt welcome from fans, returns to the Rogers Centre grappling with tangled emotions and a springtime slump. He’s fully committed to a Cleveland team patiently waiting for him to hit again, but acknowledges he will always love the city where he grew into an elite slugger.

“Toronto is where I became the player I (always) wanted to be,” says Encarnacion, who ranks third all-time with 239 home runs as a Blue Jay. “The best years of my career were with that organization, and I feel really proud of the support the fans gave me.”

Encarnacion didn’t mean to discuss his success in the past tense but he’s 34 years old. Power hitters often decline at that age, and Encarnacion’s early-season stats raise further questions.

In 2012, Encarnacion struck out 1.1 times for every walk, while hitting 42 homers and driving in 100 runs. His strikeout rate had climbed to 1.6 for every walk last season, although he still hit 42 home runs and recorded a league-leading 127 RBIs. He had 16 walks and 39 strikeouts entering this weekend, with just five extra-base hits.

But Encarnacion usually warms with the weather. He has a .243 average and .488 slugging percentage for his career in April, compared with .287 and .550 in July. Indians president Chris Antonetti says the club acquired him knowing it might have to ride out a slow April in return for mid-summer production and veteran mentorship.

“We certainly knew that was his history,” Antonetti says. “We recognize that there’s an adjustment period. Edwin has done a really good job of adjusting to the clubhouse and fitting in as part of the fabric of our team.”

The last time Encarnacion switched teams, he endured an even rockier transition.

He joined the Jays in July 2009, arriving from the Cincinnati Reds along with two pitching prospects in exchange for Scott Rolen, then a seven-time Gold Glove winner at third base.

The Jays slotted him in at third and the errors piled up quickly — 25 in 137 games over two seasons. Defensive miscues deflated his confidence in the field, compounding an anxiety that Encarnacion says gutted his hitting, too.

From 2009 thorough 2011, he hit .232 over 745 at-bats while playing third base for the Jays, but hit .298 and in 349 at-bats when playing first base or DH.

“When you make errors . . . it gets in your head and affects your offence, and that’s what happened to me,” Encarnacion says. “You come to the stadium and don’t know whether or not you’re going to play. If you go 0-for-4 today, you don’t know whether you’re going to play tomorrow . . . When you put pressure on yourself, the results aren’t good.”

Encarnacion went 1-for-10 over last weekend’s Seattle series, but Cleveland manager Terry Francona never considered sitting him. The club finished April 14-10, even with their cleanup hitter struggling. Instead of focussing on anemic numbers, Francona searched for hints of a 2016 Encarnacion.

“The last 10 days . . . we’ve seen more aggressive swings. You can tell he’s starting to get his legs under him,” Francona said. “Even with the really slow start he’s on pace for 30 (home runs) . . . He’ll get to his numbers. I’m confident about that. And when he does, our team will have a different gear.”

Until then, Cleveland’s offence keeps moving forward without a big contribution from Encarnacion. The two batters ahead of him, Francisco Lindor and Michael Brantley, are hitting .280 or better; No. 5 hitter Jose Ramirez is at .300.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

“It’s a bit difficult because you want to help the team win,” Encarnacion said. “But you know sooner or later you’re going to catch the rhythm of the game.”

Encarnacion needed more than two seasons in Toronto to find his best batting stroke, with his run here culminating in the 11th-inning walk-off blast last October that vanquished Baltimore and sent the Jays to the American League Division Series.

That homer ranks among the most important in franchise history, behind Joe Carter’s 1993 World Series winner and alongside Jose Bautista’s playoff bat flip in 2015. But it didn’t boost Encarnacion’s value on the free-agent market, where he awaited a contract while the Jays acquired Kendrys Morales.

Antonetti cites an oversupply of power-hitting free agents for the delay in signing Encarnacion, who joined a Cleveland team that had come within a run of winning the World Series against the Chicago Cubs. The club doesn’t expect Encarnacion to deliver a title on his own, but Antonetti thinks he’ll help propel Cleveland back to the playoffs with his production and personality.

“We thought he would fit in very well,” Antonetti said. “He’s maybe not the most outspoken guy, but in his own quiet, professional way he’s a leader within the clubhouse.”

Everyday first-baseman Carlos Santana, a fellow Dominican who played alongside Encarnacion in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, helped his friend transition into Cleveland’s team culture.

They’re neighbours in Cleveland, both in a suburban gated community and in the clubhouse. Santana occupies a corner locker, with Encarnacion two spots over. They share the locker in between, and the sense that Encarnacion will shake his early-season slump.

“He’s a key piece,” Santana says. “He hasn’t woken up yet, but sooner or later he’s going to wake up. It’s a long season and we all know what kind of player he is, and we’re counting on him.”

Cleveland had already scored eight runs last Sunday when Encarnacion came to bat in the bottom of the third inning with two out. Every player in the lineup had come to bat that inning, and by then all except Encarnacion and Lonnie Chisenhall had recorded hits.

Encarnacion struck out on three pitches. A few spectators along the third base line booed.

But his average is slowly creeping up, .217 after Sunday, and the next couple of stops are among his favourites. He has hit .272 with an .895 OPS at the Rogers Centre, and .292 with a .941 OPS at Minnesota’s Target Field.

“Things don’t go well for me at the beginning, then little by little they start turning out better,” Encarnacion says. “I just have to keep making adjustments. Every day. Day by day.”

Read more about: