{allcanada} Jays move Bautista to right field

Jose Bautista is returning to right field, Edwin Encarnacion is moving back to third base and Juan Rivera is moving into the DH spot in a surprising, late spring shake-up of the Toronto Blue Jays' defence.

The changes announced Tuesday morning mark a significant and interesting about face for the club, which spent the majority of training camp with Bautista at third base, Rivera in right and Encarnacion focused on learning to play first base as insurance for Adam Lind in the field.

The new alignment should be stronger defensively, but one of the driving forces behind the moved, according to Jays' general manager Alex Anthopoulos, was Encarnacion's shape when he arrived at camp.

"He transformed his body," Anthopoulos wrote in an email. "Much leaner, more athletic, range is better, footwork is better. Rivera will still get time in the outfield, it's just that Edwin's play has been significantly improved, and long term Bautista will end up in right field."

Bautista's preference all along was to stay in right field, but he said he was willing to do whatever the team needed from him. His arm is a weapon in the outfield, one that makes opposing baserunners think twice, but it isn't as advantageous at third.

Encarnacion was lost on waivers to Oakland in November, but re-signed as a free agent in December by the Blue Jays to serve as the designated hitter and backup first baseman. At the time of the signing, Anthopoulos said Encarnacion, whose errant throws earned him the nickname E5 while with Cincinnati, would not play third base.

Rivera, meanwhile, came over from the Angels in the Vernon Wells deal and has looked strong at the plate, but not in the field.

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