CLEVELAND -- Edwin Encarnacion didn’t expect to get traded from the Indians to the Mariners. And then he didn’t expect to not get traded by the Mariners. So to be here Friday, in the visitors’ clubhouse at Progressive Field, and wearing a Mariners uniform was, well, unexpected.

“It was crazy,” Encarnacion said of his offseason, before the Mariners fell to the Indians, 2-1, on Friday. “Especially in the situation where I was having a baby coming and I don’t know where I’m going to be. Are they going to trade me? No. Yes. No. That was the situation. But now I’m here, and I’m enjoying it.”

Encarnacion’s son, Edwin Jr., was born Jan. 29, a little more than a month after the three-way trade in which Encarnacion went from Cleveland to Seattle and Carlos Santana’s oh-so-brief tenure with the Mariners ended with him headed back to Cleveland. It seemed a foregone conclusion that Encarnacion would be flipped to another club the instant Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto found the right deal for him, but such a deal never materialized.

So Encarnacion stayed. And so far, he has performed well. He took a .372 on-base percentage with eight homers into Friday’s return to Progressive Field, the building he called home in 2017 and ’18.

“Edwin doesn’t give away at-bats, that’s for sure,” manager Scott Servais said. “He’s really professional, grinding through at-bats, knowing what he’s looking for, knowing how guys are going to approach him. He certainly doesn’t get cheated at the plate. I’ve been really impressed with him since we had him. Not knowing what the future looked like, I think he’s done things the right way.”

The future is still uncertain for Encarnacion. He’s in the final year of the three-year, $60 million deal he signed with the Indians. If the Mariners aren’t in contention midseason, he’s a clear trade candidate.

“I’m not thinking about that anymore,” he said. “I just try to do my job and do the things I can control. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, I don’t think about it.”

Worth noting

• Roenis Elias was available out of the bullpen again Friday after resting a couple games with a tender elbow.

• Right-handed reliever Sam Tuivailala, who hasn’t seen Major League game action since last August because of a torn right Achilles, began a rehab assignment at Class A Modesto on Thursday. The assignment can last up to 30 days, and Servais said Tuivailala will likely need all or most of that because he missed Spring Training.

• Right-hander Gerson Bautista is also making progress in his recovery from a pectoral strain. He threw in an extended spring training game and is nearing a rehab assignment.

• Outfielder Mallex Smith officially reported to Triple-A Tacoma on Friday after doing some hitting work on the side following his recent demotion from the big league roster.