TORONTO – Blue Jays' designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion left in the eighth inning of Saturday's 7-2 win over Houston with a sore left shoulder.

"I think maybe the last two weeks I started feeling it," said Encarnacion. "Today it's getting worse with a swing I made in the first inning."

Almost immediately, he received a cortisone injection. The healing agent takes at least one day, sometimes up to three days, to settle and so Encarnacion wasn't expected to be in the lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Astros.

"I prefer to get this done and start to come back to the field again," said Encarnacion. "That's how I'm going to help my team to win games."

Encarnacion said the pain in his shoulder began a couple of weeks ago. He couldn't pinpoint an incident which caused the discomfort, chalking it up to the usual wear and tear of a long season.

"It just started after swinging and swinging and I started feeling it," said Encarnacion. "Today was the worst part."