| Date | News | Comment |
| Mar 4 2024 | Donaldson announced his retirement from professional baseball Monday on The Mayor's Office podcast. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson had said earlier this offseason that he would like to play one more season if the right opportunity presented itself, but evidently that offer never came. Injuries limited the 38-year-old to only 50 games in 2023, and he managed just a .678 OPS since the start of the 2022 season. However, Donaldson was one of the better players in baseball for several years, making three All-Star teams and winning one American League MVP. He'll finish with a career .261/.358/.489 batting line with 279 home runs over parts of 13 big-league seasons. |
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| Nov 20 2023 | Donaldson said Monday in an interview with Josh Wegman of TheScore.com that he is "definitely up" for playing in 2024, but "that would be my last season no matter what." | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson has managed just a .678 OPS since the start of the 2022 season and was limited to 50 games in 2023 because of injuries. He'll also turn 38 next month. Donaldson's batted-ball data remained excellent this season, however, and he still rates fairly well defensively at third base. It wouldn't be surprising for a team to give Donaldson one more shot on a modest one-year deal. |
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| Sep 27 2023 | Donaldson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson has a .743 OPS in 13 games since joining the Brewers and will head to the bench after the club earned the NL Central title Tuesday. Brian Anderson is starting at the hot corner and batting eighth. |
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| Sep 23 2023 | Donaldson went 1-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Friday's 16-1 win over the Marlins. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson kicked off the scoring in the Brewers' 12-run second inning, slugging a 371-foot, two-run blast off reliever Steven Okert. The home run was the second in as many games for Donaldson, who has provided Milwaukee with a much-needed power boost since joining the club earlier this month. While he's recorded only eight hits in 37 at-bats (.216) through 10 games, five of those hits have gone for extra bases (three home runs, two doubles). |
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| Sep 21 2023 | Donaldson is not in the lineup Thursday at St. Louis. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: This looks to be a planned day of rest for the 37-year-old third baseman, who slugged a three-run homer in the Brewers' 8-2 win over the Cardinals on Wednesday. Andruw Monasterio will man the hot corner and bat sixth in Thursday's series finale. |
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| Sep 20 2023 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the Cardinals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson set the tone early with a first-inning blast, and that was all the Brewers would need for the win. He's gone 7-for-32 (.219) with two homers, seven RBI and four runs scored through nine games with Milwaukee after joining the big club Sept. 11. For the season, the veteran third baseman has a .159/.248/.442 slash line with 12 homers, 22 RBI, 17 runs scored and no stolen bases through 43 contests between the Brewers and the Yankees. |
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| Sep 12 2023 | Donaldson went 2-for-2 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 3-1 victory over Miami. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: After having his contract selected by Milwaukee on Monday, Donaldson delivered an RBI and a run scored in his Brewer debut. He was even better Tuesday, reaching in all four of his plate appearances (two hits, two walks), including a solo home run off Edward Cabrera in the fourth frame. Though the change of scenery could be exactly what the former MVP needed, it's worthwhile to remember Donaldson slashed just .142/.225/.434 in 33 games with the Yankees this season. |
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| Sep 11 2023 | The Brewers selected Donaldson's contract from Triple-A Nashville on Monday. He'll start at third base and bat fifth in the Brewers' series opener with the Marlins. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Milwaukee transferred reliever J.C. Mejia (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL to clear room on the 40-man roster for Donaldson, who went 3-for-17 with two home runs and five walks in five games for Nashville after inking a minor-league deal with the Brewers on Aug. 31. Prior to catching on with Milwaukee, Donaldson hit .142 with 10 home runs in 120 plate appearances for the Yankees before landing on the injured list July 16 with a right calf strain and then getting cut loose in late August when he completed a minor-league rehab assignment. Donaldson will likely be ticketed for a short-side platoon role at either designated hitter or third base initially, but the 37-year-old could earn more opportunities against right-handed pitching if he fares well in his initial action with Milwaukee. |
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| Aug 31 2023 | Donaldson (calf) signed a minor-league contract with the Brewers on Thursday, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson still has some work to do in his recovery from the severe right calf strain that has kept him sidelined since mid-July, but he'll report to Triple-A Nashville to begin what will essentially be a minor-league rehab assignment and could become an option for the current NL Central leaders by mid-September. Andruw Monasterio has had a miserable August and may eventually be unseated by Donaldson as Milwaukee's primary option at third base. Because this deal came together before Friday, Donaldson will be eligible to suit up for the Brewers in the postseason. |
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| Aug 29 2023 | The Yankees released Donaldson (calf) on Tuesday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson had been ramping up his rehab from a right calf strain but wasn't eligible for activation until mid-September. If he does make it back to play this season, it will be with another organization. Donaldson's two-year tenure in New York didn't go well, as he will finish it having slashed .207/.293/.385 with 25 home runs over 165 games. He's making $21.75 million in 2023 and the Yankees will be responsible for an $8 million buyout of his 2024 club option. |
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| Aug 27 2023 | Donaldson (calf) took batting practice against right-hander Luis Gil at the Yankees' spring complex in Florida on Saturday, per MLB.com. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson has been ramping up his activity for several weeks, resuming on-field work July 30 and advancing to outfield sprints Aug. 20. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the slugger's live hitting session Saturday went well and indicated that Donaldson could go on a minor-league rehab assignment in the near future. However, the veteran is on the 60-day IL and isn't eligible to be activated until mid-September. |
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| Aug 25 2023 | Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Friday that Donaldson (calf) is nearing a rehab assignment, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson is performing all baseball activities without issue as he nears the completion of his recovery from the severe right calf strain that has kept him on the shelf since mid-July. He could return from the 60-day injured list when first eligible in mid-September if all goes well during his minor-league rehab stint, but the 37-year-old impending free agent might only be a bench bat for New York in the closing weeks of the 2023 campaign. |
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| Aug 20 2023 | Donaldson (calf) did sprints on the outfield grass at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, Max Goodman of The Newark Star-Ledger reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson is on the 60-day IL due to a right calf strain and isn't eligible to return until mid-September. All indications are that he should be ready to go at that point, as the veteran has been doing work on the field for several weeks and has now progressed to sprinting. However, Donaldson isn't guaranteed a starting job upon his return, as he struggled to a .142/.225/.434 slash line (albeit with 10 homers) over 120 plate appearances prior to getting hurt. |
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| Aug 1 2023 | Donaldson (calf) took batting practice and fielded grounders Monday and is hoping to return to action this season, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson was moved to the 60-day injured list July 20 after being diagnosed with a high-grade right calf strain. Less than two weeks later, the veteran third baseman was described by Hoch as looking "fluid" while doing on-field work, so it appears Donaldson is recovering more quickly than expected. However, even if he continues to progress, Donaldson isn't eligible to be activated from the IL until mid-September. |
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| Jul 20 2023 | Donaldson (calf) was transferred Thursday from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: This move frees up a 40-man roster spot for reliever Matt Bowman, who was re-signed Thursday to a major-league contract. Donaldson was diagnosed earlier this week with a high-grade right calf strain and might struggle to make it back to the Yankees before the end of the regular season. |
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| Jul 17 2023 | Donaldson has been diagnosed with a high-grade strain/small tear in his right calf and is without a timetable for a return, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a calf injury, and it's possible his season could be over after receiving his MRI results. The team likely won't disclose a firm timetable for a return until later on in the recovery process, but this isn't the news the Yankees were hoping for after Donaldson exited Saturday's matchup in discomfort. |
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| Jul 16 2023 | The Yankees placed Donaldson on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a right calf strain. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson's right calf gave him problems once again during Saturday's win over Colorado, and he'll now be placed on the shelf for 10 days after an MRI revealed a strain. Oswald Peraza was brought up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a corresponding move. |
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| Jul 15 2023 | Donaldson will undergo an MRI on his right calf after it flared up on him again in Saturday's win over the Rockies, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson initially tweaked his calf a couple weeks ago and has often been limited to designated hitter of late as a result. He felt something in the calf again Saturday in his final plate appearance and will undergo testing. For what it's worth, Phillips notes that Yankees manager Aaron Boone "didn't sound optimistic" about Donaldson's condition. |
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| Jul 10 2023 | Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed after Sunday's loss to the Cubs that Donaldson has been dealing with a lower-body issue since the team's last road trip, Max Goodman of The Newark Star-Ledger reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Boone made the revelation after Donaldson appeared to tweak his right calf during his first plate appearance Sunday, although he wound up staying in and finishing the game. For now, it looks like Donaldson will avoid the injured list and continue to be used more at designated hitter. However, given the 37-year-old's lengthy history of calf problems, it's something to monitor. |
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| Jul 9 2023 | Donaldson went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Saturday in a 6-3 win over the Cubs. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson gave the Yankees an early 2-0 lead with his solo shot in the second inning. The veteran third baseman has been the epitome of all-or-nothing at the plate this season -- of his 14 total hits, 10 have left the park. While that has given him an excellent .323 ISO, Donaldson has driven in just 15 runs and is batting a meager .146 with a .222 on-base percentage over 108 plate appearances. |
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| Jul 6 2023 | Donaldson went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-3 loss against Baltimore. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson was one of the few Yankees who had success against Dean Kremer on Wednesday. After knocking a base hit in the second inning, the veteran third baseman broke a scoreless tie in the fifth with an opposite-field shot. Donaldson is now just 13-for-87 on the season, though nine of his hits have been home runs. Overall, he's slashing just .149/.216/.471 with 14 RBI and 12 runs scored through 97 plate appearances. |
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| Jul 4 2023 | Donaldson is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's contest against the Orioles, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: It marks three times in the last five games that Donaldson has been on the bench, and he's started just one contest at third base over that stretch. He's batting just .131 on the season. |
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| Jul 2 2023 | Donaldson is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson started one game during Saturday's twin bill and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. DJ LeMahieu will take over at the hot corner in Sunday's series finale. |
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| Jul 1 2023 | Donaldson isn't in the Yankees' lineup for Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: It's been tough at the plate for Donaldson this season, as he sports just a .143 batting average through 77 at-bats, but he has put together a three-game hitting streak. He'll sit out Game 1 while Oswaldo Cabrera starts at third base and bats eighth, but it's likely Donaldson returns for Game 2. |
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| Jun 30 2023 | Donaldson went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 10-4 win over the Athletics. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Prior to the series against Oakland, Donaldson had not started any of New York's previous three games and was in a 6-for-48 swoon. However, the veteran third baseman showed signs of life against the club with whom he began his MLB career, going 3-for-13 with a pair of homers and five RBI during the three-game set. Donaldson did strike out six times during that stretch, so his offensive woes aren't behind him, but the Yankees can probably tolerate the lack of contact as long as he continues to produce runs. On the season, Donaldson's numbers remain ugly, as he's slashing .143/.200/.468 with a 30.6 percent strikeout rate, adding eight homers and 13 RBI over 85 plate appearances. |
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| Jun 27 2023 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Athletics. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson accounted for the Yankees' offense against one of his former teams, but the rest of his teammates didn't do much. The third baseman was benched for three consecutive games versus the Rangers over the weekend, but he's expected to maintain a starting role at third base. He's hardly earned it with a .132/.200/.441 slash line, seven homers, nine RBI, 10 runs scored and no doubles through 75 plate appearances this season, though there's still clearly some power in his bat on the rare occasion he makes contact. Donaldson is also striking out at a 29.3 percent rate, his worst mark since a 14-game cup of coffee in 2010. |
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| Jun 25 2023 | Donaldson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: It's the third consecutive game on the bench for Donaldson, who has gone 3-for-37 in his past 12 games. New York has a scheduled day off Monday, so the veteran third baseman will have four straight days to reset before Tuesday's series opener at Oakland. Donaldson will continue to have a regular role after this stretch, as manager Aaron Boone reiterated Sunday the 37-year-old is "going to play a lot," according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. |
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| Jun 24 2023 | Donaldson is not in Saturday's lineup against the Rangers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson will sit for the second consecutive game, as he's in the midst of a 2-for-29 stretch across his last 10 appearances. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will draw the start at the hot corner while hitting seventh. |
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| Jun 23 2023 | Donaldson isn't starting Friday against the Rangers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson is currently in the middle of an 0-for-13 stretch at the plate across his last four games, so he'll get a day off Friday to regroup. DJ LeMahieu will take over at third base and bat fifth. |
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| Jun 18 2023 | Donaldson is out of the lineup for Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader against the Red Sox, Erik Boland of Newsday reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson has a .176/.256/.618 slash line with five home runs in 11 games since he returned from the injured list at the start of June, but he'll take a seat for Sunday's matinee. There's a strong chance the veteran is back in the lineup for Game 2. DJ LeMahieu will man third base and bat fifth in the first contest. |
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| Jun 17 2023 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's loss to Boston. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson's blast traveled 413 feet to left-center field, though it didn't mean much in the context of the outcome since New York was down by 10 runs at the time. The veteran third baseman has gone deep five times in 11 games since returning from the injured list June 2. However, he has only one other hit (a single) over that span. |
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| Jun 13 2023 | Donaldson is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game versus the Mets. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Yankees are going with DJ LeMahieu at third base in the first game of the Subway Series. Donaldson has homered four times in eight contests since returning from the injured list. |
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| Jun 10 2023 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 3-2 loss against Boston. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson launched a 448-foot blast in the sixth inning, giving him four home runs in five games since being activated off the injured list. The 37-year-old has been limited to just 10 games so far this season, batting just .161 with a 29 percent strikeout rate. With Aaron Judge (toe) sidelined, the Yankees will be counting on Donaldson to not only stay healthy but provide a consistent bat in the heart of their lineup going forward. |
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| Jun 8 2023 | Donaldson is out of the lineup for the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the White Sox, Erik Boland of Newsday reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Yankees will go with DJ LeMahieu at the hot corner for the afternoon contest. Donaldson -- who has homered three times in three games since returning from the injured list -- will likely be back out there for the nightcap. |
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| Jun 4 2023 | Donaldson is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson started the past two games after being activated from the injured list Thursday, and he'll take a seat Sunday after he went 2-for-8 with two home runs and three RBI. DJ LeMahieu will start at third base while Giancarlo Stanton serves as the designated hitter. |
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| Jun 2 2023 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in Friday's loss to the Dodgers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson welcomed himself back with his first multi-homer game since 2021. The third baseman has played in just six games due to a hamstring injury, but he is expected to be an everyday player. In every season that he has played at least 100 games, Donaldson has hit 20 or more homers. Having already missed 53 games, he might not reach those numbers, but his power stroke should help fantasy managers when he is in the lineup. |
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| Jun 1 2023 | Donaldson was activated from the 10-day injured list Thursday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson first injured his right hamstring back in early April and aggravated the injury on his initial rehab assignment. Things went smoother during his more recent rehab games, though, and he's ready to rejoin the Yankees' lineup. Manager Aaron Boone has said that Donaldson will be an everyday player, although it's possible he'll receive extra days off initially following a long layoff. |
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| May 30 2023 | Donaldson (hamstring) is tracking toward a return to the Yankees this weekend, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Things had been pointing toward Donaldson's activation for the weekend series versus the Dodgers as long as all goes well on his rehab assignment, and the third baseman confirmed as much Tuesday. He's been sidelined since early April with a right hamstring strain, having encountered a couple setbacks along the way. |
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| May 29 2023 | Donaldson (hamstring) will play for Double-A Somerset on Tuesday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson was initially sent out on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but he'll now shift to Double-A after the team re-evaluated him Sunday. He'll likely see at-bats throughout the week before potentially being reinstated for the Yankees' upcoming weekend series against the Dodgers. |
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| May 27 2023 | Donaldson (hamstring) is slated to be evaluated after playing in a minor-league game with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, per the Associated Press. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson has already played in two contests with the Triple-A club during his current rehab assignment, going 1-for-6 with two walks, two strikeouts and a run. He played third base in the first game and DH in the second before getting a scheduled day off Saturday. Donaldson is expected to be back in the RailRiders' lineup Sunday before the organization evaluates his progress. It's possible that he could be activated from the IL and rejoin the Yankees during the team's series that starts Monday in Seattle, though it's previously been indicated that the third baseman is more likely to return next weekend to face the Dodgers in Los Angeles. |
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| May 24 2023 | Donaldson (hamstring) is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Yankees manager Aaron Boone said it's possible Donaldson will be ready to return early next week for the team's series in Seattle, but more likely it will be next weekend in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. Donaldson has been sidelined since early April with a right hamstring strain. He encountered a couple setbacks along the way, first when he had to be pulled off an initial rehab assignment when the hamstring flared up and more recently when he sliced his thumb in a mishap at home. Donaldson is expected to be an everyday player when he rejoins the Yankees. |
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| May 23 2023 | Donaldson's (hamstring) rehab assignment is imminent, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told Chris Kirschner of The Athletic on Tuesday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Boone also noted that Donaldson will be an everyday player for the Yanks when he does return. Donaldson's right hamstring seemingly has been a non-issue for a little while now, but he had a setback recently when he sliced his thumb in a mishap at home. It's not clear how many rehab games Donaldson might require before being activated. |
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| May 18 2023 | Donaldson (hamstring) said Thursday he recently sliced his thumb, which has delayed him from beginning a rehab assignment, Max Goodman of The Newark Star-Ledger reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson said Thursday that he was "putting something together" with his daughter when he suffered the cut. It's not a huge setback -- his hamstring is almost fully healed -- but he might not get into minor-league rehab games until sometime next week. The veteran third baseman has been on the shelf since early April. |
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| May 9 2023 | Donaldson (hamstring) will go through another week of "intense baseball activities" before starting a rehab assignment, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told Max Goodman of The Newark Star-Ledger. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: It had seemed like a rehab assignment for Donaldson was imminent, but he'll need to get through a few more days of workouts first. That would seem to put him on a timetable to return toward the end of the month, if all goes well. Donaldson has been out since early April with a right hamstring strain. |
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| May 6 2023 | Donaldson (hamstring) will ramp up baseball activity during the upcoming homestand and could soon begin a rehab assignment, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: It sounds like Donaldson is ahead of Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring) in his recovery. If he can avoid setbacks, a return in the middle of May seems feasible. |
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| May 5 2023 | Donaldson took grounders and batted on the field at Yankee Stadium on Monday, and he worked out at the Yankees' complex in Tampa, Florida on Friday, per MLB.com. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson is dealing with a "Grade 1-plus strain" of his right hamstring, which resulted in a rehab stint being halted after just one game April 18. The veteran third baseman's recent activity suggests that he's improving, though there's been no word from the organization about an estimated return date. It stands to reason that Donaldson would need to re-start a minor-league rehab assignment before he's eventually cleared to return to the big club. |
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| Apr 5 2023 | Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Phillies that Donaldson's right hamstring injury isn't expected to be too serious, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson could still undergo an MRI, which would reveal more about the severity of his injury. At this juncture, though, the team doesn't seem to be fearing an extended absence. The Yankees are off Thursday before starting a weekend series in Baltimore. |
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| Apr 3 2023 | Donaldson is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Phillies. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson will get a breather after he manned third base for each of the Yankees' three games in the team's season-opening series with the Giants, during which he went a collective 2-for-11 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run. Though he remains the team's preferred option at the hot corner, Donaldson will likely be subject to at least one or two days off per week while the Yankees rotate leadoff man DJ LeMahieu across three infield spots. |
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| Apr 1 2023 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Giants. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: His eighth-inning blast off Taylor Rogers -- Donaldson's first homer of the year -- brought the Yankees to within a run, only for the Giants to tack on some insurance in the top of the ninth. The 37-year-old third baseman may not have much left in the tank after a rough 2022 that saw him hit only 15 homers in 132 games with a career-low .682 OPS, but Donaldson is still capable of punishing a mistake. |
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| Mar 18 2023 | Donaldson went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts Saturday in a Grapefruit League contest against the Blue Jays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: It has not been a strong exhibition season for Donaldson, as the hitless effort sees the former MVP drop his slash to .200/.310/.360 in Grapefruit League play. The 37-year-old is expected to open the year as the primary third baseman for the Yankees, but with several quality infield options -- and Donaldson's poor play in 2022 -- his hold on that job is precarious. |
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| Feb 19 2023 | Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that he envisions Donaldson serving as the team's starting third baseman this season, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Though the skipper noted that Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres will likely join Donaldson as the preferred starters at three of the infield spots, DJ LeMahieu is expected to rove between first base, second base, third base and designated hitter to maintain a near-everyday role. As a result, Donaldson could be at risk of sitting the most of the trio, given that he endured a rough 2022 campaign in which he finished with a .682 OPS and a 27.1 percent strikeout rate, his worst marks since 2012 and 2011, respectively. Donaldson still graded out well defensively at the hot corner, but his declining bat, advancing age and injury history still might make it difficult for him to match or surpass the 546 plate appearances he logged in his first season in New York. |
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| Oct 4 2022 | Donaldson will sit for the first of Tuesday's two games against the Rangers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Yankees won't ask many regulars to play two games in one day, as they're locked into the second seed in the American League regardless of what happens in their final three games. Oswaldo Cabrera will play third base in Donaldson's absence. |
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| Sep 30 2022 | Donaldson isn't starting Friday against the Orioles. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson started the last three games and went 1-for-13 with two runs, an RBI and eight strikeouts. DJ LeMahieu will start at third base and bat fifth after being reinstated from the 10-day injured list Friday. |
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| Sep 25 2022 | Donaldson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson started the past 12 games and will head to the bench after he posted an .864 OPS with three home runs during that span. Marwin Gonzalez will take over at the hot corner in Sunday's series finale. |
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| Sep 23 2022 | Donaldson went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 5-4 victory over Boston. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson delivered a walk-off RBI single off righty reliever Kaleb Ort with nobody out in the 10th. The third baseman has recorded one hit or more in 11 of his last 12 games with a .962 OPS over 55 plate appearances during that span. In addition, the 36-year-old has tallied eight RBI over his last 11 games. |
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| Sep 18 2022 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's loss to Milwaukee. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: New York managed little offense against the combination of Brandon Woodruff and Devin Williams, but Donaldson ensured that the team didn't get shut out with his solo homer in the fourth inning. The long ball was his second in as many days and his third over his past six games. Donaldson still has just 15 homers on the campaign and has struggled with a 26.4 percent strikeout rate, which is on pace to be his worst mark over any full season in his career. |
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| Sep 17 2022 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and two additional RBI in a 7-6 loss to the Brewers on Friday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson's game-tying homer off Taylor Rogers in the top of the ninth was his 14th long ball of the season. The veteran third baseman is now slashing .212/.325/.394 with two home runs over 33 at-bats in September. |
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| Sep 10 2022 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two additional runs scored in Saturday's win over Tampa Bay. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson nearly had two long balls in his return from the paternity list -- his shot off the top of the right-field wall in the first inning ended up a long single after review. Regardless, it was a nice afternoon for Donaldson, who was in the cleanup spot for his first game back. |
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| Sep 7 2022 | Donaldson was placed on the paternity list Wednesday, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson has been in a bit of a slump over the last week and a half, hitting just .143 with a double, two runs, an RBI, five walks and nine strikeouts over his last nine games. He'll now spend a few days away from the team following the birth of his child. DJ LeMahieu and Oswald Peraza are candidates to fill in at third base in Donaldson's absence, while Miguel Andujar will serve as the 29th man for Wednesday's doubleheader against the Twins. |
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| Aug 29 2022 | Donaldson is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Angels. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson does not sit much, but manager Aaron Boone decided it was best to give him a breather Monday night. DJ LeMahieu will man the hot corner in Donaldson's place. |
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| Aug 26 2022 | Donaldson went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a walk, four runs and three RBI in a 13-4 victory against Oakland on Thursday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The bottom five in New York's order combined to go 12-for-25 with seven RBI in the rout, and Donaldson was at the forefront with a trio each of hits and runs batted in. The veteran third baseman had been struggling mightily entering the contest, going 6-for-44 (.136 average) over his previous 13 games. Donaldson's 12 homers on the campaign are disappointing given than he hit 26 long balls last season, but he's picked up 25 doubles, just one shy of his total last year. |
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| Aug 22 2022 | Donaldson (illness) is starting at third base and batting fifth Monday against the Mets. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson will return to the lineup after missing the last two games with a stomach ailment. The 36-year-old currently owns a four-game hit streak, batting .250 with a grand slam over that stretch. |
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| Aug 21 2022 | Donaldson (illness) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Manager Aaron Boone will hand Donaldson a second straight day off while he recovers from a stomach ailment, though the veteran could still be available off the bench for the series finale. DJ LeMahieu will fill in for Donaldson at third base. |
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| Aug 20 2022 | Donaldson was a late scratch from Saturday's lineup against the Blue Jays due to a stomach bug, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Estevan Florial was added to the lineup with Oswaldo Cabrera shifting from right field to third base. Donaldson should be considered day-to-day. |
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| Aug 18 2022 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with one homer, four RBI and one run scored in Wednesday's victory over the Rays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson hit a walk-off grand slam off lefty reliever Jalen Beeks with nobody out in the 10th inning. The 36-year-old is significantly better on the road with a .817 OPS and nine home runs in 192 at-bats compared to a .554 OPS and three home runs in 158 at-bats at home. Add this third baseman to the list of struggling Yankees as he has a .138 batting average and .241 slugging percentage in 29 at-bats during his last eight games. |
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| Aug 9 2022 | Donaldson went 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles, three RBI and three runs scored in Monday's 9-4 win over Seattle. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson put the Yankees on the board with a two-run single in the first inning and added a solo shot in the third, both against Logan Gilbert. The veteran third baseman has multiple hits in three of his last six games after producing just three multi-hit performances over his previous 20 appearances. During the small hot streak, he's knocked six extra-base hits with eight RBI and a 1.288 OPS, improving his season slash line to .231/.310/.405 through 364 plate appearances. |
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| Aug 3 2022 | Donaldson went 2-for-3 with an RBI double, a two-run home run and two total runs scored in Tuesday's 8-6 loss to Seattle. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson sent Anthony Rizzo home on a double in the fourth, then came around to score later that inning thanks to a Jose Trevino home run. Donaldson launched a two-run homer of his own in the sixth inning that scored Matt Carpenter and tied the game at 6-6. The third baseman is up to 10 homers on the year. Donaldson struggled in his last eight appearances in July, going 2-for-28, but he is 3-for-6 in two games to start August. |
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| Jul 24 2022 | Donaldson will sit Sunday versus the Orioles. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson will get a breather after he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Saturday's loss. DJ LeMahieu will start at third base while Joey Gallo enters the lineup in left field after some shuffling and will bat ninth in the series finale. |
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| Jul 21 2022 | Donaldson isn't starting the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Astros. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson was out of the lineup for four of the five games leading up to the All-Star break and will remain on the bench for Thursday's matinee. DJ LeMahieu is shifting to third base while Anthony Rizzo starts at first. |
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| Jul 17 2022 | Donaldson will sit Sunday against the Red Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson will get a breather after he went 1-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in his first game back Saturday following a minor hand injury. DJ LeMahieu will start at third base while Matt Carpenter enters the lineup at designated hitter and bats fifth in the series finale. |
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| Jul 16 2022 | Donaldson (hand) is starting Saturday against the Red Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson was out of the lineup Friday against Boston after he was hit by a pitch on his hand Thursday against Cincinnati. However, he went 0-for-1 with a strikeout Friday and will start at the hot corner and bat fifth a day later. |
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| Jul 15 2022 | Donaldson (hand) is not in the starting lineup Friday against the Red Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson was hit by a pitch Thursday during a pinch hit at-bat, forcing him to exit the contest. The injury will cause him to miss Friday's game and he remains day-to-day for the time being. DJ LeMahieu will start at third base and bat leadoff versus Boston. |
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| Jul 14 2022 | Donaldson exited Thursday's game against the Reds after being hit by a pitch on his right hand, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson was out of the starting lineup Thursday but came in to pinch hit in the eighth inning. He was hit by a 95 mph fastball and originally tried to stay in the game prior to being lifted for Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Donaldson can be considered day-to-day for the time being, but he will likely have imaging done that will shed further light on his status. |
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| Jul 9 2022 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a walk, a three-run home run, a second run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 12-5 win over the Red Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: His first-inning blast off Connor Seabold got the ball rolling on another huge night for the Yankees offense. Donaldson has gone deep in three straight games, amassing nine RBI during his power surge, but on the season he still carries a sluggish .231/.318/.412 slash line with nine homers, two steals, 28 runs and 32 RBI through 65 contests. |
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| Jul 7 2022 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a grand slam Thursday against the Red Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson broke the game open with his eighth home run of the season. In addition to homering in consecutive games, Donaldson has at least one hit in seven of his last nine starts. In that span, he's driven in nine and scored five runs. Despite the strong stretch, Donaldson is hitting only .231/.316/.402 across 269 plate appearances for the campaign. |
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| Jul 2 2022 | Donaldson isn't in the lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Guardians. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson started in the last seven games and hit .167 with four doubles, two RBI, a run, three walks and eight strikeouts. DJ LeMahieu is shifting to the hot corner while Matt Carpenter starts at first base. |
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| Jun 23 2022 | Donaldson will sit Thursday against Houston. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson hasn't been at his best over his last eight games, striking out 12 times while slashing .194/.242/.290. DJ LeMahieu will start at third base Thursday. |
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| Jun 20 2022 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's loss to Toronto. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Yankees hit five homers in the contest, though Donaldson's two-run, third-inning shot was the only one that wasn't of the solo variety. The blast snapped Donaldson's 17-game stretch without a long ball and was his sixth overall this season. The veteran hit 26 home runs with Minnesota last season but is well below that pace through 49 contests with New York in 2022. |
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| Jun 18 2022 | Donaldson isn't starting Saturday against the Blue Jays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson will get a day off after he went 2-for-11 with a run and six strikeouts over the last three games. Matt Carpenter is starting at third base and leading off Saturday. |
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| Jun 15 2022 | Donaldson is starting Wednesday's game against the Rays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson served a one-game suspension during Tuesday's series opener against the Rays, but he'll start at the hot corner and bat fifth a day later. Over his last eight games, the 36-year-old has slashed .219/.282/.313 with three doubles, three RBI, a run and a stolen base. |
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| Jun 13 2022 | Donaldson's appeal of his one-game suspension was denied Monday, so he'll serve the ban Tuesday against Tampa Bay, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson's suspension was issued after he made inappropriate comments to the White Sox's Tim Anderson back on May 21. It took several weeks for his appeal to be resolved, with the third baseman hitting both the COVID-19 injured list and the regular 10-day injured list in the intervening time. Expect DJ LeMahieu to handle third base Tuesday, but Donaldson should return to the lineup for Wednesday's contest. |
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| Jun 12 2022 | Donaldson is not in Sunday's lineup against the Cubs. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson is hitting .219 with zero home runs and one steal in 32 at-bats this month. DJ LeMahieu will start at third base. |
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| Jun 10 2022 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a double, a run, an RBI and a stolen base Thursday in a 10-7 win against the Twins. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson knocked in the game's first run with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, and he collected a pair of hits in the offense-heavy affair. In the seventh, the veteran singled and stole second base for his first theft since the 2019 season. Donaldson has followed a six-game hitless streak with a modest four-game hitting streak, and he is batting .313 (5-for-16) over the latter stretch. |
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| Jun 3 2022 | Donaldson (shoulder) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Friday, Erik Boland of Newsday reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson had been sidelined since May 24 due to right shoulder inflammation, but he received a cortisone injection after landing on the injured list and will return to the lineup after missing just over the minimum of 10 days. He'll start at third base and bat cleanup during Friday's matchup against Detroit and should reclaim his role as the Yankees' everyday third baseman while DJ LeMahieu shifts back to the keystone. |
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| Jun 1 2022 | Donaldson (shoulder) could be activated from the injured list when first eligible later this week, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson recently had a cortisone injection that appears to have done its job, as the third baseman is "really encouraged with where his shoulder is at," according to manager Aaron Boone. Donaldson is still awaiting the result of his appeal of a one-game suspension, but he'll be eligible to return from the IL on Thursday, per Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. |
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| May 29 2022 | Yankees manager Aaron Boone stated Friday that Donaldson (shoulder) is feeling better after receiving a cortisone injection, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson is dealing with right shoulder inflammation, and his treatment appears to be effective thus far. The veteran has been swinging and doing light throwing, so he may not need to miss an extended period of time. Donaldson is eligible to return from the IL on June 3, but he may need to miss an additional game after being activated if his appeal of a suspension is not successful. |
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| May 27 2022 | Donaldson (illness) was transferred to the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation Friday, retroactive to May 24. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson spent the last few days on the COVID-19 IL, but he continued to test negative for the virus despite exhibiting flu-like symptoms. However, he's also dealing with a shoulder injury that will force him to miss at least another week. Once the 36-year-old is deemed healthy enough to return, it's possible he'll be forced to miss at least one matchup since he's been issued a one-game suspension due to inappropriate comments he made to Tim Anderson last weekend. However, Donaldson is appealing the suspension. DJ LeMahieu (wrist) has missed the last four games, so Marwin Gonzalez has served as the starting third baseman recently. |
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| May 24 2022 | Donaldson is still battling flu-like symptoms Tuesday, but he's tested negative for COVID-19, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The fact that he's negative for COVID-19 suggests that Donaldson won't miss too much more time, but he'll be absent at least for Tuesday's game against Baltimore. He also has a one-game suspension hanging over his head when he returns, a punishment which stems from inappropriate comments he made to Tim Anderson on Saturday, but he plans to appeal, so he'll likely be in the lineup whenever he's activated. |
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| May 23 2022 | Donaldson, whom the Yankees placed on the COVID-19-related injured list earlier Monday, received a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine from MLB that he plans to appeal, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The suspension stems from inappropriate comments Donaldson made to the White Sox's Tim Anderson in the Yankees' 7-5 win Saturday. A decision on when or if Donaldson serves the one-game ban likely won't be made until after he's reinstated from the COVID-19 IL and his appeal is heard. Per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, manager Aaron Boone said Donaldson hasn't tested positive for COVID-19, but the 36-year-old displayed symptoms consistent with the virus and was deactivated as a matter of precaution. The Yankees called up Miguel Andujar from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take Donaldson's spot on the active roster. |
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| May 22 2022 | Donaldson isn't starting in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader against the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson will get a chance to reset after he went 0-for-4 in Sunday's matinee. DJ LeMahieu will shift to third base while Gleyber Torres starts at the keystone. |
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| May 19 2022 | Donaldson is out of the lineup for Thursday's game in Baltimore, Erik Boland of Newsday reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: With Giancarlo Stanton handling designated-hitter duties and DJ LeMahieu manning third base, Donaldson will take a seat for the first time since May 8. While starting in each of the Yankees' last 10 games, Donaldson slashed an impressive .342/.419/.632 with three home runs, four walks, two doubles, seven RBI and six runs. |
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| May 16 2022 | Donaldson went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Monday's win over the Orioles. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 36-year-old launched a solo homer off Felix Bautista in the top of the ninth inning, also adding two singles and a walk earlier in the game. The long ball was Donaldson's fifth of the year and third in his last five contests. Over that stretch, he has batted .381 with seven RBI, adding a double on top of the homers. Donaldson has performed well in the early part of his first season with the Yankees, posting a .246/.358/.439 slash line with five homers and 14 RBI over 114 at-bats this season. |
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| May 13 2022 | Donaldson went 2-for-5 with a home run, a double and three RBI in Friday's 10-4 win over the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson hit an RBI double in the second inning before going deep in the ninth off of Matt Foster. He's now collected three extra-base hits and six RBI over the last two days against the White Sox. The veteran third baseman is slashing .233/.347/.417 with 13 RBI through 29 games. |
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| May 12 2022 | Donaldson went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in a 15-7 victory versus the White Sox on Thursday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson hit one of four Yankees homers in the win, swatting a three-run shot to left field in the eighth inning to blow things open. It was the veteran's first long ball since April 23 and just his third overall this season. Donaldson is slashing a modest .224/.345/.378 over 116 plate appearances on the campaign. |
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| May 11 2022 | Donaldson isn't starting Wednesday against the Blue Jays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson started in the last three games and went 2-for-9 with a walk and three strikeouts. DJ LeMahieu will shift to third base while Gleyber Torres starts at the keystone Wednesday. |
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| May 8 2022 | Donaldson is out of the lineup for the first game of Sunday's doubleheader with the Rangers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: With Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa both resting for the front end of the twin bill, the Yankees will deploy DJ LeMahieu (third base) and Marwin Gonzalez (shortstop) on the left side of the infield. Expect both Donaldson and Kiner-Falefa to rejoin the lineup for the nightcap. |
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| Apr 24 2022 | Donaldson went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks Saturday against Cleveland. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson took Cal Quantrill yard in the seventh inning to record his second home run of the season. He also continued to show good discipline at the plate, and he's now earned a free pass in four of his last five games. On the surface, Donaldson is striking out at a concerning 30 percent clip through 60 plate appearances, but he has been punched out only once across his last 12 plate appearances. |
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| Apr 21 2022 | Donaldson is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Tigers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson sits for the second time this season. His Yankees career hasn't gotten off to a great start, as a three-game hitless streak has caused his slash line to fall to .174/.255/.283. Marwin Gonzalez will take over at third base. |
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| Apr 16 2022 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and a two-run home run in Saturday's 5-2 win over Baltimore. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson hit his first long ball of the campaign in the fifth inning, drilling a 403-foot two-run blast to give the Yankees a lead they did not relinquish. The veteran also doubled in the ninth, giving him his first multi-hit game since Opening Day. Donaldson is slashing .222/.282/.361 overall this season. |
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| Apr 11 2022 | Donaldson isn't starting Monday's game against the Blue Jays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson started in each of the first three games of the regular season and went 4-for-15 with a run, an RBI and six strikeouts. He'll get a breather Monday, as DJ LeMahieu shifts to third base while Gleyber Torres starts at the keystone. |
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| Apr 9 2022 | Donaldson went 2-for-6 with an RBI in the Yankees' 6-5 extra-innings win over Boston on Friday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson emerged as the hero in his first game as a Yankee when he stroked a single to center field in the bottom of the 11th inning to plate the game-winning run. The hit was the second of the day for the veteran, who batted leadoff for New York after not hitting in that spot at all with Minnesota last year. Donaldson was traded to New York in mid-March. |
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| Apr 7 2022 | Donaldson will bat leadoff in Friday's matchup against the Red Sox, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Manager Aaron Boone indicated late in camp that Donaldson could lead off on occasion during the regular season, and the 36-year-old will get the opportunity to do so on Opening Day. Donaldson mainly hit in the No. 2 spot with the Twins last year, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the Yankees move him around between different prominent spots in the order to find the best fit early in his tenure with the club. |
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| Mar 28 2022 | Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Donaldson could get some opportunities to bat leadoff, Erik Boland of Newsday reports. "Guy that controls the strike zone like he does, the ability to get on, power, great hitter...yeah, he's definitely someone I would consider," Boone stated. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson didn't hit leadoff at all last season with Minnesota, though he did frequently bat second in the order. The veteran finished with an above-average .352 OBP and and an excellent 13.6 percent walk rate, marking the sixth straight season his walk rate was north of 13 percent. Donaldson's patience and eye at the plate lend credence to the notion that he could succeed as a leadoff hitter, though players with his big power and lack of speed aren't typically used in that role. |
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| Mar 13 2022 | Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt were traded from the Twins to the Yankees on Sunday in exchange for Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson appeared in 135 games with the Twins in 2021, slashing .247/.352/.475 with 26 homers, 73 runs and 72 RBI during that time. After some notable feuds with right-hander Gerrit Cole last year, the two players will become teammates with the Yankees, where Donaldson is in line to serve as the team's starting third baseman. As part of the agreement, the Yankees will take on the remaining $50 million in salary that the 36-year-old is owed across the next two seasons. |
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| Oct 3 2021 | Donaldson went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two total runs in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Royals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran slugger put the Twins on the board in the first inning, launching a 435-foot solo shot to left field. That would be all the run support Minnesota's staff would need in the shutout win. During Donaldson's current five-game hit streak, he has gone 6-for-18 with a a pair of homers and five RBI. His 26 homers and 74 RBI each ranks third on the team in 2021. |
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| Sep 21 2021 | Donaldson went 3-for-3 with a double, a walk, two runs and two RBI in a 9-5 win over the Cubs on Tuesday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson also hit a sacrifice fly in the contest as part of a productive night at the plate. The veteran upped his season slash line to .251/.351/.480 and now has 24 doubles and 67 RBI to go along with 24 long balls. Donaldson has reached base safely in four straight games, going 6-for-13 with a pair of homers, five RBI and three walks over that stretch. |
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| Sep 18 2021 | Donaldson went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Blue Jays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson homered yet again off the Blue Jays on Saturday, taking Steven Matz deep in the first inning to give the Twins a 2-0 lead. The 35-year-old will have plenty more opportunities to enact revenge against his former team this season, as Minnesota and Toronto will meet five more times before the year is out. |
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| Sep 17 2021 | Donaldson went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a double in Friday's 7-3 win over Toronto. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 35-year-old hit the second of three straight homers for Minnesota in the third inning. Donaldson is up to 23 long balls this year, although he's hit only two in his last 16 games. Overall, the veteran slugger owns a .246/.344/.470 slash line with 63 RBI, 62 runs scored and 22 doubles across 483 plate appearances. |
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| Sep 14 2021 | Donaldson is not in the lineup for the first half of Tuesday's doubleheader against Cleveland. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Given Donaldson's injury history, it's no surprise to see that he won't be asked to play two games in one day. Luis Arraez will start at third base in the afternoon contest, but Donaldson should return for the nightcap. |
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| Sep 10 2021 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run and a walk in Friday's 6-4 loss to the Royals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson slammed a three-run homer off Daniel Lynch in the first inning, scoring four runs without recording an out in the game. It was Donaldson's first long ball of September, where he has gotten off to a slow start batting .194 in nine games. The 35-year-old is slashing .251/.349/.475 with 22 homers, 62 RBI and 59 runs scored in 456 plate appearances this season. |
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| Aug 30 2021 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a double in Monday's 3-2 win over the Tigers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson provided most of the offense Monday with his two-run blast off Casey Mize in the fourth inning. The veteran slugger is on fire over the last seven games, going 11-for-25 (.440) with four homers, three doubles and eight RBI. For the season, Donaldson is slashing .259/.360/.494 with 40 extra-base hits |
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| Aug 27 2021 | Donaldson went 1-for-2 with a two-run homer and two walks in Friday's 2-0 win over Milwaukee. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson provided the only offense in Friday's win, blasting a two-run shot off Eric Lauer in the first inning. After going 15 games without a homer, the 35-year-old slugger has gone deep four times in the last six games. He raised his season OPS to .835 with 20 home runs and 56 RBI. |
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| Aug 25 2021 | Donaldson went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and a double in Wednesday's 9-6 extra-inning win over Boston. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: After Boston rallied to tie the game in the ninth inning, Donaldson quickly put Minnesota again in the 10th. The 35-year-old is on a bit of a power surge with three homers in his last four games. Donaldson is slashing .250/.350/.473 with 19 long balls 54 RBI and 53 runs scored through 394 plate appearances this season. |
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| Aug 24 2021 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two runs scored and a walk Tuesday against the Red Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson led off the ninth inning with a home run, his 18th long ball of the season. He's now homered twice in his last three starts, though prior to this stretch he had only one extra-base hit and no home runs across 53 plate appearances in August. For the season, Donaldson is hitting .248/.350./462 wih 52 runs scored and 52 RBI across 389 plate appearances. |
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| Aug 20 2021 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 10-2 loss to the Yankees. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 35-year-old accounted for all of Minnesota's scoring when he took Yankees starter Nester Cortes deep in the sixth inning. Donaldson is up to 17 homers, 51 RBI, 50 runs scored and 16 doubles while slashing .248/.350/.458 in 380 plate appearances. He's hit safely in seven of his last eight games, going 10-for-34 (.294) in that span. |
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| Aug 16 2021 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Rays. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson plated the first two runs of the game on a base hit off Luis Patino in the first inning, then gave the Twins a 4-0 lead when he knocked in a run on his 16th double of the season. The three RBI matched Donaldson's total from his previous 12 games combined, an indictment of both his struggles at the plate of late as well as the poor quality of the Minnesota lineup. |
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| Aug 11 2021 | Donaldson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: After a three-game absence due to a sore hamstring, Donaldson rejoined the Minnesota lineup as a designated hitter in Tuesday's 4-3 win, finishing 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. The Twins haven't indicated that Donaldson suffered a setback with the hamstring in his return to action, so he may just be receiving some rest Wednesday in a day game after a night game. Brent Rooker will serve as the Twins' DH in the series finale, while Luis Arraez fills in at third base. |
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| Aug 10 2021 | Donaldson (hamstring) will bat third as the designated hitter in Tuesday's game against the White Sox, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The oft-injured veteran has dealt with hamstring issues for the past two weeks, starting just two games in the middle of that stretch before heading right back to the bench. The Twins will likely manage him carefully down the stretch given his health history, but he's been effective when available this year, hitting .245/.355/.468 with 16 homers in 87 games. |
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| Aug 9 2021 | Donaldson (hamstring) isn't starting Monday's game against the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson was able to return to action Thursday and Friday after he was held out of the lineup for five games due to a hamstring injury last week. However, the 35-year-old is apparently still dealing with the issue, as he'll now be out of the lineup for a third consecutive game. Luis Arraez will start at the hot corner while Trevor Larnach takes over in left field. |
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| Aug 8 2021 | Donaldson (hamstring) is not in the lineup Sunday against the Astros. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran third baseman missed five games with a hamstring injury last week before returning to the lineup Thursday and Friday, but he's now sitting out for the second straight contest. There's been no announcement of a setback, but it's clear he's still nursing the injury given the consecutive absences. Luis Arraez will shift to third base Sunday while Trevor Larnach starts in left field. |
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| Aug 7 2021 | Donaldson will be on the bench Saturday against the Astros. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson was on the bench for six straight games while dealing with a hamstring injury before returning to the lineup for the last two. There haven't been reports of a setback, so it's likely he's simply receiving a routine day off as the Twins look to avoid overworking him. With Minnesota firmly out of the playoff picture and Donaldson under team control though 2024, it would hardly be a surprise to see the veteran third baseman receive regular maintenance days down the stretch. |
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| Aug 5 2021 | Donaldson (hamstring) is starting Thursday's game against the Astros. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson was excluded from the lineup in each of the last five games due to right hamstring tightness, but he went 0-for-2 with a strikeout as a pinch hitter across the last two contests. He'll serve as the designated hitter and bat third Thursday. |
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| Aug 4 2021 | Donaldson (hamstring) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson's tight right hamstring will keep him on the bench for the fifth game in a row, but the Twins continue to hold out hope that he'll avoid a trip to the injured list. Luis Arraez will cover third base in Donaldson's stead. |
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| Aug 3 2021 | Donaldson (hamstring) is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Reds, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He tested his hamstring on the field for a few minutes and felt the minor tightness that has plagued him for the last several days, so he will miss a fourth straight game. Luis Arraez will start at the hot corner and bat fifth. |
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| Aug 1 2021 | Donaldson (hamstring) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He'll take a seat for the fourth game in a row while he manages a tight right hamstring. Luis Arraez will fill in at third base for Donaldson, who will hope to be ready to go for Tuesday's game in Cincinnati with the benefit of Monday's team off day. |
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| Jul 31 2021 | Donaldson (hamstring) isn't starting Saturday against the Cardinals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson was scratched from Friday's lineup due to minor right hamstring tightness, and he'll be unable to return after he was re-evaluated Saturday. He should still be considered day-to-day, while Luis Arraez (knee) will return to the lineup at the hot corner and bat fourth. |
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| Jul 30 2021 | Manager Rocco Baldelli said after Friday's game that Donaldson's hamstring injury is considered minor, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson was a late scratch from Friday's lineup, and Baldelli said that the third baseman's hamstring tightened up just before first pitch. The 35-year-old received treatment Friday, and the team will see how he feels Saturday before determining whether he can return. |
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| Jul 28 2021 | Donaldson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: With the Twins and Tigers playing extra-inning games Monday and Tuesday and both teams facing a quick turnaround for Wednesday's series finale, Donaldson is likely just receiving a maintenance day. Willians Astudillo will cover third base in place of Donaldson. |
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| Jul 27 2021 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a walk, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Monday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the Tigers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: If the veteran third baseman is on the trade block, he's doing everything he can to enhance his value. Donaldson is slashing .297/.413/.568 over his last 11 games with three of his 16 homers on the year, and with Jose Miranda banging loudly on the door with a 1.051 OPS at Triple-A, the Twins have every incentive to clear space at the hot corner by moving Donaldson. |
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| Jul 21 2021 | Donaldson went 2-for-5 with a solo homer ad two runs scored in Tuesday's 9-5 loss to the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson led off the sixth with a solo blast to left to bring the Twins within a run. His next time up he would lead off the eighth with a single and came around to score on a two-run shot from Jorge Polanco to give the Twins their first lead of the game at 5-4. The 35-year-old swatted the second round-tripper over his last five games and picked up his second multi-hit effort over that span too. Donaldson doesn't have as much pop in his bat as he used to but is still having a productive year, slashing .251/.354/.490 with 15 homers, 39 RBI, 42 runs scored and a 42:59 BB:K over 297 plate appearances. |
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| Jul 18 2021 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Tigers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson got things rolling for the Twins with an RBI single in the first inning, then led off the fourth with a solo home run to left. The long ball was his first of July and contributed to his first multi-hit effort of the month. The 35-year-old is slashing .250/.349/.487 with 14 homers, 37 RBI, 40 runs scored and a 38:55 BB:K over 281 plate appearances. |
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| Jul 10 2021 | Donaldson is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Tigers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: There's been no indication that it's anything but a regular day off for Donaldson, who has gone 0-for-6 with a pair of walks in two games since returning from right hamstring soreness. Luis Arraez will start at third base and bat leadoff Saturday. |
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| Jul 8 2021 | Donaldson (hamstring) is starting Thursday's game against the Tigers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson had missed the last four games due to right hamstring soreness, but he ran the bases as part of a full workout ahead of Thursday's matchup, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports. He apparently checked out fine after his workout and will start at third base and bat second in his return to the lineup. |
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| Jul 7 2021 | Donaldson (hamstring) isn't starting Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson will miss a fourth consecutive game as he continues to deal with right hamstring soreness, and he hasn't appeared off the bench in any of the last three contests. Per Park, manager Rocco Baldelli said Donaldson will be available off the bench Wednesday and will go through another full workout Thursday before it's determined if he's ready to rejoin the starting nine. |
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| Jul 6 2021 | Donaldson (hamstring) is not starting Tuesday's game against the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: There's yet to be any update from the Twins, but it's growing increasingly likely that Donaldson gets placed on the injured list, as right hamstring soreness now sidelines him for a third consecutive game. Leadoff hitter Luis Arraez once again gets the nod at third base Tuesday. |
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| Jul 5 2021 | Donaldson (hamstring) is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran misses his second straight game after leaving Saturday's game with a right hamstring issue. It's unclear how much longer Donaldson will be sidelined, or if he might require a trip to the injured list. Luis Arraez starts at third base Monday, and will likely man the position until Donaldson is ready to return. |
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| Jul 4 2021 | Donaldson (hamstring) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Right hamstring tightness will sideline Donaldson for the series finale after he exited Saturday's contest with the injury. The Twins have provided no further updates on the third baseman's condition, so he should still be considered day-to-day. Luis Arraez is starting at third base and batting leadoff Sunday. |
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| Jul 3 2021 | Donaldson was diagnosed with right hamstring tightness after he left Saturday's loss to the Royals, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson pulled up while running out a double Saturday and was removed from the game as a precautionary measure. However, the issue is considered very mild, and the third baseman is considered day-to-day for now. |
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| Jul 1 2021 | Donaldson went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Wednesday in the Twins' 13-3 loss to the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: For the second straight day, Donaldson homered in his first at-bat of the game, and he's now left the yard in three consecutive contests to boost his season total to 13. While the 33-45 Twins have been one of baseball's biggest disappointments this season, it's been through little fault on the part of Donaldson, who continues to play at a high level in his age-35 campaign. He's currently sporting an OPS over .800 for the sixth straight season, and his 19.4 percent strikeout rate is his lowest since 2016. |
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| Jun 30 2021 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 7-6 loss to the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He gave the Twins an early lead, taking Lucas Giolito deep in the first inning. Donaldson has gone yard in consecutive games, and seven of his 12 homers on the year have come in June as he has slashed a strong .273/.355/.606 through 76 plate appearances on the month. |
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| Jun 28 2021 | Donaldson went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's 8-2 win over Cleveland. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson was the only Twins hitter with a multi-hit performance in Sunday's win despite the team putting up eight runs. He singled in his first at-bat and then homered to lead off the third to give his team a 4-1 lead. The 35-year-old is slashing .251/.345/.468 with 11 homers, 31 RBI, 33 runs scored and a 31:46 BB:K. He's striking out at his lowest rate since 2016 and continues to produce at the plate with five hits, three RBI and two runs scored in his last three games. |
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| Jun 24 2021 | Donaldson (calf) is starting at third base and batting second Thursday versus Cleveland, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran third baseman sat out the last five games while managing a calf issue, but he'll return to the lineup coming off Wednesday's scheduled off day. Donaldson is 2-for-16 with seven strikeouts over his past seven games and will attempt to get back on track now that he's feeling better. |
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| Jun 22 2021 | Donaldson (calf) will remain on the bench for Tuesday's game against the Reds. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson is dealing with calf issues yet again. He'll sit for the fifth straight game Tuesday, though he did appear off the bench Monday, so it looks as though he could return to the lineup soon, perhaps after Wednesday's scheduled off day. Miguel Sano will start at third base in his absence. |
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| Jun 21 2021 | Donaldson (calf) is out of the lineup Monday against the Reds. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran third baseman will sit for the fourth consecutive game as he continues to nurse a right calf injury. Luis Arraez will receive another start at the hot corner while Donaldson remains sidelined. |
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| Jun 20 2021 | Donaldson (calf) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson will sit for the third game in a row while he contends with a right calf injury. Luis Arraez will pick up a start at third base in Donaldson's stead. |
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| Jun 19 2021 | Donaldson (calf) remains sidelined Saturday against the Rangers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Calf issues are unfortunately nothing new for the veteran third baseman. His latest such problem popped up Wednesday against the Mariners, causing him to exit in the first inning. He'll sit for the second straight game, with Luis Arraez taking over at the hot corner. |
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| Jun 18 2021 | Donaldson (calf) is not in the starting lineup Friday against the Rangers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson exited Wednesday's game against the Mariners after the first inning with the calf issue, though his departure was initially labeled precautionary by the club. Willians Astudillo will fill in at third base during the series opener in Arlington, with further update on Donaldson likely to come at some point later Friday. |
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| Jun 16 2021 | Donaldson left Wednesday's game against Seattle after the first inning due to a tight right calf muscle, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson appeared to grimace after rounding first base after a hit. He hurt his leg rounding first base on Opening Day and landed on the injured list. The Twins say his removal this time was as a precaution, but it's concerning given his history of calf injuries. |
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| Jun 11 2021 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs Friday in a loss to Houston. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: After drilling a clutch game-tying homer in the ninth inning against Aroldis Chapman on Thursday, Donaldson carried over the momentum into Friday's contest against Houston. He swatted a solo shot to left field in the third inning, then tied the game in the bottom of the eighth with a blast to right field. Donaldson is up to 10 homers on the campaign, with five having come over his past seven games. |
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| Jun 10 2021 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run, an additional run scored and a walk in Thursday's win over the Yankees. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson entered the ninth having gone 0-for-3 and stepped up to the plate with Jorge Polanco in first, and the veteran infielder took Aroldis Chapman's four-seam fastball deep for a two-run blast that tied the game. Donaldson now has three home runs over his last six games and has hit safely in four of those contests, as he's beginning to turn things around following a couple of rough weeks at the plate of late. |
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| Jun 6 2021 | Donaldson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: After a stretch of nine consecutive starts, Donaldson will get a breather in the series finale in Kansas City, allowing Willians Astudillo to get a turn at third base. Donaldson's .806 OPS on the season represents a 36-point downturn from his mark during his first year in Minnesota, but the 35-year-old has at least heated up at the plate after a slow start. Over his last eight games, Donaldson has gone 11-for-31 (.355 average) with two home runs and a 5:6 BB:K. |
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| Jun 3 2021 | Donaldson went 3-for-5 with two solo home runs, a double and an additional run scored in Thursday's 6-5 loss to the Royals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson homered off Kris Bubic in the first inning and off Jakob Junis in the seventh inning. In addition, he doubled to lead off the fifth frame and scored. It was his first game this season with three extra-base hits. The 35-year-old is slashing .250/.352/.461 with seven home runs, 22 RBI and 24 runs in 182 plate appearances. He leads the Twins with a 13.7 BB% and he's reached base safely 12 times in his last five games. |
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| May 31 2021 | Donaldson went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a walk Monday in the Twins' 3-2 win over the Orioles in 10 innings. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson hasn't left the yard since May 17, but he's at least tapping into some more gap power of late. He now has accrued three doubles over his last two games, bringing his season-long total up to 10 through 168 plate appearances. |
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| May 26 2021 | Donaldson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson will sit for the second consecutive Wednesday, breaking a streak of seven consecutive starts. The 35-year-old managed only two hits in 22 at-bats over that stretch, with his average plummeting to .236 on the season as a result. Miguel Sano will spell Donaldson at third base in the series finale. |
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| May 19 2021 | Donaldson isn't starting Wednesday's game against the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson went 2-for-8 with a two-run home run across the last two games. Willians Astudillo will start at third base and bat seventh. |
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| May 17 2021 | Donaldson went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Monday's 16-4 loss to the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Twins were already down 14-1 when Donaldson took Dallas Keuchel deep in the sixth inning. The veteran third basemen is one of the few Minnesota players performing up to expectations so far this season, hitting .274 with five homers and 16 RBI through 28 games. |
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| May 14 2021 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 6-1 loss to Oakland. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Already trailing 5-0 in the sixth, Donaldson put Minnesota on the board with his solo shot off Frankie Montas. The veteran slugger is slashing .279/.364/.488 with 10 extra-base hits through 99 plate appearances. |
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| May 8 2021 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double, an additional RBI and a walk in Saturday's loss against the Tigers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson carried the Twins offensively in this game, as he plated the team's three runs. The veteran third baseman ended an eight-game homer drought and he's now hit safely in five of Minnesota's last seven games, recording three multi-hit appearances in that span. |
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| May 6 2021 | Donaldson isn't starting Thursday's game against the Rangers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson will get a rare day off after he went 2-for-11 with a double, an RBI, a run and three strikeouts in the last three contests. Willians Astudillo will start at third base and bat fourth. |
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| May 3 2021 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Monday's 6-5 victory over the Rangers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson helped his club build an early lead, driving in a run in the bottom of the third inning on a double to left field. He's now registered three doubles and two RBI in his last two contests, raising his batting average to .283 through 16 games in 2021. |
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| Apr 29 2021 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 10-2 victory over Cleveland. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran third baseman has only two hits in his last six games, although he's walked as many times (two) as he's struck out in 21 at-bats during that span. Donaldson's average remains above .300 thanks to a hot start to the season, but his recent results have fallen well short of the lofty expectations for the talented but aging slugger. Even so, Donaldson remains a catalyst in the two-hole for Minnesota, as he went back-to-back with leadoff hitter Byron Buxton in Wednesday's contest to kickstart his team's offensive outburst. |
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| Apr 21 2021 | Donaldson went 4-for-6 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBI in Wednesday's 13-12 extra-inning loss to the A's. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He got the wild slugfest started by launching a solo shot off Frankie Montas in the first inning, Donaldson's first homer of the year. The veteran has hit safely in all six games he's played sandwiched around a hamstring injury, and on the season he's hitting .556 (10-for-18). |
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| Apr 15 2021 | Donaldson isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Red Sox, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson was activated from the injured list Wednesday and went 1-for-2 with a walk and a run in the second game of the doubleheader against Boston. Willians Astudillo will start at third base Thursday, batting fifth. |
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| Apr 14 2021 | Donaldson (hamstring) was officially activated ahead of Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Red Sox, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports. He is batting second and starting at third base. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He worked out on the field in between games and was cleared by the Twins medical staff to return. A healthy Donaldson can still do a lot of damage and he slots right back into a favorable spot in the lineup. |
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| Apr 13 2021 | Manager Rocco Baldelli said he expects Donaldson (hamstring) to come off the injured list and rejoin the lineup Wednesday against the Red Sox, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: It seemed like Donaldson would come back at some point during this series, but we will have to wait until the third game of the four-game set or him to slot back in. Luis Arraez will still probably play plenty, especially against righties, at other positions or at third base when Donaldson gets a day at DH. |
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| Apr 12 2021 | Donaldson (hamstring) isn't included in the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox and isn't expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list until at least Tuesday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Twins' decision not to reinstate Donaldson from the IL ahead of the series opener shouldn't be taken as a sign that he experienced a setback. Instead, the 35-year-old is likely just receiving some extra maintenance after he logged six at-bats and played five innings at third base in a simulated game at the Twins' alternate site in Saint Paul on Sunday. Assuming Donaldson is feeling good after a full day of rest, he'll likely return to action Tuesday. |
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| Apr 11 2021 | Donaldson (hamstring) felt good and didn't have any issues following Sunday's simulated game at the Twins' alternate training site in St. Paul, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson played five innings of defense Sunday and took six at-bats. He hit a home run in one of his trips to the plate, and his season debut could be imminent as long as he continues to feel good. Luis Arraez will likely move to left field once Donaldson is cleared to return to third base. |
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| Apr 10 2021 | Donaldson (hamstring) could come off the injured list Monday or Tuesday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He sprinted and ran the bases Saturday and looked good doing so, per Park. Donaldson will take some grounders and hit batting practice before getting some at-bats in at the alternate training site Saturday. It sounds like he is going to return early next week if he avoids setbacks. In the meantime, Luis Arraez will continue to fill in at the hot corner. |
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| Apr 8 2021 | Donaldson (hamstring) could take at-bats in simulated games over the weekend, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson has continued to run on a treadmill and take batting practice in recent days, and manager Rocco Baldelli has been pleased with the 35-year-old's progress. If he continues to progress smoothly, Donaldson could head to the alternate training site over the weekend to take another step in his recovery. A timetable for Donaldson's return to game action hasn't yet been established, but he appears to be trending in the right direction. |
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| Apr 6 2021 | Manager Rocco Baldelli said that Donaldson (hamstring) will run on a treadmill and take batting practice Tuesday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Though the Twins placed Donaldson on the 10-day injured list last weekend, the fact that he hasn't been shut down from baseball activities offers hope that he'll be in line for an abbreviated absence. Donaldson's return from the IL won't be considered imminent until he's able to take part in full fielding and baserunning drills, but he seems to be trending in the right direction. |
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| Apr 3 2021 | Donaldson (hamstring) will hit and work out Saturday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson landed on the 10-day injured list with a strained right hamstring Saturday, but it looks as though he may not be in line for a long-term absence. He went through exercises Friday without pain, so this appears to be a case of the Twins being extra cautious with the oft-injured veteran. |
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| Apr 2 2021 | The Twins will update Donaldson's (hamstring) status Saturday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The club is apparently very relieved that Donaldson's injury was to his hamstring and not his calf. He was reevaluated Friday but the club won't provide a public diagnosis until Saturday. |
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| Mar 30 2021 | Donaldson enters Tuesday's spring finale against the Pirates with a .281/.303/.500 slash line across 32 at-bats in Grapefruit League play. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: In what looks to be a preview of the Twins' lineup for Thursday's regular-season opener in Milwaukee, Donaldson is starting at third base and batting second Tuesday. The 35-year-old regularly batted out of the two hole during an injury-shortened 2020 campaign, making 24 of his 25 starts out of that spot in the lineup. Donaldson has shown no ill effects from the calf injury that troubled him in 2020, so he should be poised to deliver better results as he prepares for his second season in Minnesota. |
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| Mar 7 2021 | Donaldson went 1-for-2 with a home run in his spring debut in Sunday's win over Tampa Bay. "Right now, I feel really good. Moving around well. I've been doing a lot of running, so hopefully, that bodes well for us going into the season," Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Twins eased Donaldson into action this spring to try and prevent the calf injuries that limited him to 28 games last season and caused him to miss the playoffs. He may play every other day this spring to keep him fresh for the regular season. Manager Rocco Baldelli has said Donaldson will be given extra time off early in the regular season to keep him fresh for the second half. |
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| Feb 23 2021 | The Twins plan to give Donaldson more frequent rest this season, especially early in the year, to try avoid the calf injuries that limited him to 28 games last season and caused him to miss the playoffs. "I'm not going to be playing in every single game early on, but to kind of build into getting game-ready," Donaldson told MLB.com. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson said he worked on his running form in the offseason to reduce stress on his calf muscles. Donaldson is healthy as spring training begins, but he may be used sparingly in exhibition games to ease him into the regular season. Luis Arraez could start at third base a game or two each week early on to give him rest. Donaldson has had chronic calf injuries (missing 38 games with right calf strain in 2017) and played just 52 games in 2018 with a left calf and shoulder injury. Donaldson remains a top power option at third base, but with considerable injury risk. |
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| Sep 29 2020 | Donaldson (calf) is not on the Twins' AL Wild Card Round roster, Brandon Warne of Access Twins reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Calf issues, which are hardly something new for the veteran third baseman, limited Donaldson to just 28 games this season. The issue returned during the final series of the campaign and evidently hasn't subsided to the point that the Twins feel comfortable with him playing at any point in the next three days. Marwin Gonzalez will be the third baseman in Game 1 against the Astros. |
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| Sep 28 2020 | Donaldson (calf) participated in live batting practice Monday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson missed the final two games of the regular season with a right calf cramp, but he took batting practice with the Twins on Monday, just one day before Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series. The team hasn't announced whether he'll be available to begin the series, but his participation in batting practice is an encouraging step. |
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| Sep 27 2020 | Donaldson (calf) is not in the lineup Sunday against the Reds, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran third baseman exited Friday's contest with a right calf cramp and won't start the final two games of the season. It's not a great sign given Donaldson has battled calf issues in recent years, but the Twins may just be expressing caution on the eve of the playoffs. Marwin Gonzalez receives the start at third base Sunday for the Twins. |
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| Sep 26 2020 | Donaldson (calf) will not start Saturday's game against Cincinnati. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson left Friday's game with a right calf cramp, a worrying sign for a player who has missed quite a bit of time with calf issues in recent years. He's reportedly feeling good and receiving treatment Saturday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports, but the Twins are likely far more concerned about having him healthy for the playoffs than having him available for the final two games of the regular season. Ehire Adrianza will be the third baseman Saturday. |
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| Sep 25 2020 | Donaldson left Friday's game against the Reds at the beginning of the second inning with a right calf cramp, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson was replaced defensively by Ehire Adrianza to begin the second inning, and his initial diagnosis revealed a right calf issue. The third baseman missed all of August with right calf tightness. He's currently considered day-to-day but could be replaced by Adrianza or Marwin Gonzalez if he misses additional time. |
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| Sep 20 2020 | Donaldson went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks in Sunday's 4-0 win over the Cubs. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson was good at getting on base, but he wasn't able to generate any runs himself. The 34-year-old has a .243/.380/.514 slash line after the productive outing. He's added six homers, 11 RBI and 13 runs scored in 25 games. |
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| Sep 19 2020 | Donaldson went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in a victory over the Cubs on Saturday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson wasn't in the starting lineup, but he came on as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. Though he hit into a fielder's choice in that at-bat, the slugger had a more successful result when he slammed a solo homer to right field in the ninth frame. Donaldson's is slashing .225/.356/.507 with six homers and 11 RBI on the season. |
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| Sep 17 2020 | Donaldson was ejected during the sixth inning of Thursday's game against the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 34-year-old gave the Twins a 3-2 lead after hitting a solo homer to start the sixth inning, but he was ejected when he kicked dirt on home plate. Donaldson was unhappy about a strike call earlier in the at-bat, and he returned for some additional dirt kicking to express his displeasure before leaving the field. |
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| Sep 8 2020 | Donaldson went 2-for-3 with a walk and a three-run home run during a 7-3 win over the Cardinals in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran slugger took Carlos Martinez deep in the third inning for his third homer of the year, and Donaldson then followed up that performance by going 1-for-3 with a walk, a double and a run scored in the nightcap. The 34-year-old has now gone yard twice in eight games since returning from a calf injury, and Tuesday's effort boosted his slash line on the year to .244/.396/.512 through 15 contests. |
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| Sep 6 2020 | Donaldson is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson just returned from a calf injury earlier in the week and it makes sense that the Twins wouldn't want to push their luck with the 34-year-old. Ehire Adrianza will take over at third base and bat eighth against right-hander Casey Mize. |
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| Sep 4 2020 | Donaldson will not start the second half of Friday's doubleheader against Detroit. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson hit a solo shot in the Twins' 2-0 win in the first game of the day, but it's not a surprise to see that the oft-injured veteran won't be tasked with making two starts in one day. Ehire Adrianza will handle the hot corner in his absence. |
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| Sep 2 2020 | Donaldson went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI during Wednesday's victory over the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson, who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Wednesday's game against the White Sox, wasted no time in contributing to his team's win, knocking in a two-run double off Reynaldo Lopez in the second inning. The 34-year-old third baseman missed the month of August with a strained right calf and should continue to make an immediate impact on Minnesota's lineup. |
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| Sep 1 2020 | The Twins are planning to activate Donaldson (calf) from the 10-day injured list Wednesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: With center fielder Byron Buxton (shoulder) set to come off the IL on Tuesday, Donaldson's return the following day will put the Minnesota lineup at full strength minus top catcher Mitch Garver (side), who remains without a clear timeline to resume playing. Donaldson missed all of August with a sore right calf, the same injury he dealt with for much of the 2018 season. Before being sidelined, Donaldson was off to a slow start in his first season in Minnesota, going 4-for-22 with seven strikeouts in seven games. Minnesota may give Donaldson a day or two off per week to ensure he stays healthy for the second half of the season, but the 34-year-old should otherwise settle back in as the Twins' everyday third baseman, bumping Marwin Gonzalez back to a utility role. |
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| Aug 31 2020 | Donaldson (calf) is expected to return form the injured list "really soon," per manager Rocco Baldelli, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Baldelli didn't offer a precise timeline for the third baseman's return from calf issues, but it doesn't appear that the veteran will miss much more time. He's reportedly doing quite well and took part in another simulated game at the Twins' alternate site Monday. |
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| Aug 29 2020 | Donaldson (calf) could return to the Twins lineup during the team's upcoming weeklong homestand, manager Rocco Baldelli told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson has been practicing with Minnesota's alternate training camp in St. Paul and playing in simulated games and is said to be pain free. However, the Twins haven't been able to get him enough innings to build him up to nine innings given the limited number of players in St. Paul, which could set back his return slightly. |
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| Aug 25 2020 | Donaldson (calf) has been playing in intrasquad games at the Twins' alternate training site, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson has been increasing his activity since landing on the 10-day injured list with a right calf injury. He's recently progressed to taking at-bats in intrasquad matchup as he appears to be making progress in his recovery. Despite the positive signs, a timetable for his return still hasn't been announced. |
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| Aug 19 2020 | Donaldson (calf) took grounders at third base before batting practice on Wednesday and was scheduled to do some running, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. "The running and the movement and any sort of agility work would be certainly a step up from where we've been," said manager Rocco Baldelli. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He suffered the calf injury on July 31 and at first the injury was thought to be minor. He then was later placed on the 10-day IL retroactive to Aug. 4. His comeback from the injury had been stalled until earlier this week. While he's making progress, there's still no timetable for his return. |
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| Aug 17 2020 | Donaldson (calf) took part in machine cardio and fielded ground balls Monday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson is slowing ramping up his baseball activities, making it through Monday's workout without any issues. He also continues to take batting practice and take cuts in the cage, per Helfand. The Twins have yet to disclose a concrete timetable for the third baseman's return, however. |
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| Aug 14 2020 | Donaldson (calf) has been making progress towards his return but is still feeling some soreness and remains without a clear return date, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The veteran third baseman played just seven games this season before the injury bug bit him, something that's happened frequently in recent seasons. It's certainly good news that he's finally making progress, as reports from earlier in the week suggested that things were moving very slowly, but his return doesn't appear imminent. |
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| Aug 10 2020 | Donaldson (calf) has done some running but not sprinting, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. "It's not something that's ramping up very quickly at the moment," manager Rocco Baldelli said. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: While it doesn't sound like Donaldson has had a setback, he doesn't appear to be making much progress. He suffered the calf injury on July 31 and at first the injury was thought to be minor. He then was later placed on the 10-day IL retroactive to Aug. 4. It doesn't sound like he'll return from the injured list when eligible and could be out much longer. |
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| Aug 7 2020 | Donaldson (calf) was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson wasn't in the lineup for seven consecutive games while dealing with right calf tightness, so it's not entirely surprising to see him land on the injured list. The transaction is retroactive to Aug. 4, but it's unclear whether he'll be forced to spend more than the minimum amount of time on the shelf. The 34-year-old hit .182 with a home run, two RBI and seven strikeouts over his first seven games of the year. Ehire Adrianza and Marwin Gonzalez should see increased playing time in Donaldson's absence. |
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| Aug 6 2020 | Donaldson (calf) is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Pirates, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson hasn't appeared in a game for the Twins since Friday, when he exited the contest with right calf tightness. While the Twins have thus far downplayed Donaldson's calf issue, the fact that he hasn't been deployed even as a pinch hitter suggests a move to the injured list remains a distinct possibility. Marwin Gonzalez will cover third base again Thursday while Donaldson sits on the bench. |
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| Aug 5 2020 | Donaldson (calf) will sit for the fifth straight game Wednesday against the PIrates. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson has been on the shelf with right calf tightness since leaving Friday's game against Cleveland due to the injury. The issue is apparently not too serious, but the veteran has had calf issues in the past, and the Twins can afford to be quite cautious due to the expanded playoffs and their 9-2 start. Ehire Adrianza will be the third baseman in this one, with Marwin Gonzalez shifting over to first base. |
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| Aug 4 2020 | Donaldson (calf) remains sidelined Tuesday against the Pirates. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson is set to miss his fourth straight game after leaving Friday's game against Cleveland due to a tight calf. Marwin Gonzalez remains the third baseman in his absence. Donaldson is expected to travel with the Twins on their upcoming road trip, which begins Wednesday, though it remains unclear exactly when he'll return to the lineup. |
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| Aug 3 2020 | Donaldson (calf) is expected to travel with the Twins on their upcoming road trip, which begins Wednesday, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson has sat for three straight games after leaving Friday's game against Cleveland with calf tightness. It doesn't sound as though he'll miss too much more time, but the Twins can afford to be cautious with the veteran given the expanded playoffs this season. Marwin Gonzalez will start at the hot corner Monday and appears set to remain there for Tuesday's contest. |
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| Aug 2 2020 | Donaldson (calf) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Indians. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He'll be on the bench for the second straight game after exiting early in Friday's contest after experiencing tightness in his right calf. The Twins haven't suggested that Donaldson's injury is a major concern, but for fantasy managers to have any faith in his availability for the upcoming week, the 34-year-old would ideally make a cameo as a pinch hitter in the series finale Sunday. Marwin Gonzalez is drawing the start at third base and should serve as the primary option at the position if Donaldson ends up missing any further time beyond this weekend. |
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| Aug 1 2020 | Donaldson (calf) will not start Saturday's game against Cleveland. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson exited Friday's contest with a tight right calf, and while the issue isn't believed to be serious, it's no surprise to see him sit for at least one game. Marwin Gonzalez will get the start at the hot corner. |
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| Jul 31 2020 | Donaldson (calf) isn't believed to have a serious injury after he left Friday's win against Cleveland, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Although Donaldson was forced out of Friday's game with right calf tightness, manager Rocco Baldelli said after the game that the training staff doesn't think that it will be a long-term issue. The 34-year-old has battled calf issues in the past, so the team should continue to monitor the injury, but it doesn't sound as though Donaldson will miss much time as a result. |
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| Jul 28 2020 | Donaldson went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a second RBI on a sacrifice fly in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Cardinals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: His first homer in a Minnesota uniform came in the fourth inning, when he chased Carlos Martinez from the game with an opposite-field shot. Donaldson came into the night with just one hit, a single, in 10 at-bats on the year, but the 34-year-old is more than capable of going on a tear at any time. |
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| Jul 26 2020 | Donaldson went 0-for-2 with two walks in Sunday's win at the White Sox. He's 1-for-9 with four walks in his first three games with the Twins, hitting second in the order in all three contests. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson had a quiet weekend at the plate even with the Twins scoring 27 runs in three games. Donaldson still drew walks at a good clip and saw 3.9 pitchers per at bat, according to The Athletic, which shows he's seeing the ball well at the plate and his hits should come. |
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| Mar 20 2020 | Donaldson hit .292/.320/.417 with three doubles and a 7:1 K:BB in 25 Grapefruit League plate appearances. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson has been a mentor to many of the Twins hitting prospects who were in big-league camp, talking hitting philosophies and swing mechanics with some while working with Royce Lewis and Travis Blankenhorn in the infield, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. Donaldson will be ready to hit in the middle of the Twins' lineup when play resumes. |
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| Jan 14 2020 | Donaldson signed a four-year contract with the Twins on Tuesday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: According to Jeff Passan of ESPN.com, the deal is worth $92 million guaranteed and includes a fifth-year option that would push the value over $100 million, placing the 2015 American League MVP into a Twins lineup that already led the league in home runs last season. Donaldson had an impressive year himself in 2019 with the Braves, posting a .259/.379/.521 slash line with 37 home runs and 94 RBI in 155 games. Miguel Sano started 90 games at third base last season and just signed a three-year, $30 million extension with Minnesota last week, but he figures to be shifted to first base while Donaldson takes over at the hot corner. |
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| Nov 14 2019 | Donaldson rejected his qualifying offer Thursday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The move isn't entirely surprising, as Donaldson could be in line for a big payday after playing on a one-year deal with the Braves last year. The 33-year-old rebounded from a disappointing 2018 season by hitting .259/.379/.521 with 37 home runs and 94 RBI in 2019. |
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| Nov 4 2019 | Donaldson received a qualifying offer from the Braves on Monday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson may be heading into his age-34 season, but he should still be worth far more than one year and $17.8 million after hitting .259/.379/.521 with 37 homers last season. The Braves likely don't expect anything more than draft-pick compensation from their offer. |
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| Oct 9 2019 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 13-1 loss to the Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLDS. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The home run was a solo blast in the fourth inning off of St. Louis starter Jack Flaherty, Donaldson's only long ball of the series. The 33-year-old went just 3-for-19 (.158) in the NLDS but enjoyed a terrific first year overall in the National League. Donaldson slashed .259/.379/.521 in 155 regular-season games with 37 homers and 94 RBI, proving he was past the injuries that plagued him throughout the 2018 season. Donaldson played on a one-year contract in 2019 and will once again be a free agent entering the offseason. |
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| Oct 3 2019 | Donaldson will start in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the | Cardinals on Thursday, batting fourth. |
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| Oct 3 2019 | Donaldson will start in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Cardinals on Thursday, batting fourth. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The third baseman missed the final game of the season with a bruised left hip, but is ready to go for Game 1 of the NLDS. Donaldson hit four home runs and 17 RBI over 22 games in September. |
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| Sep 29 2019 | Donaldson was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets due to a bruised left hip, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The issue stems from Donaldson getting hit by a Steven Matz pitch during Saturday's 3-0 loss. Donaldson doesn't look to be at any real risk of missing any games during the Braves' upcoming NLDS series that begins Thursday, so his removal from the lineup for the regular-season finale was probably precautionary more than anything. Adeiny Hechavarria will replace him at third base and bat fifth. |
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| Sep 27 2019 | Donaldson went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk in Friday's loss to the Mets. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson kicked off the scoring in this one with an RBI single to right field, but Atlanta would fall 4-2. The 33-year-old is slashing .260/.380/.524 with 37 home runs and 94 RBI over 155 games in 2019. |
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| Sep 25 2019 | Donaldson went 3-for-6 with three doubles, four RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Royals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 33-year-old's trio of doubles marked a career-high as he drove in four runs to help lift the National League East champion Braves to victory. Donaldson now has 33 doubles, 37 home runs and 96 runs scored on the season while batting .258/.378/.523. |
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| Sep 22 2019 | As expected, Donaldson is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Donaldson has started every game at third base but one since May 23, so manager Brian Snitker will give the iron man a break Sunday with the NL East wrapped up. Austin Riley will man the hot corner in Donaldson's place. |
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| Sep 21 2019 | Donaldson will likely be out of the lineup Sunday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Braves are prepared to rest some of their most prominent regulars now that they've clinched the NL East. It appears Donaldson will take his turn on the bench Sunday, and he could find himself out of the lineup several more times prior to the close of the regular season. |
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| Sep 19 2019 | Donaldson is not in Thursday's lineup against the Phillies. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: He is hitting .245/.379/.491 with four home runs and a 15:12 K:BB in 53 at-bats this month. Donaldson has been a steady presence this season, as he has not started a game on the bench since May and has played in 149 games thus far. Austin Riley will start at third base and hit sixth. |
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| Sep 9 2019 | Donaldson went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk during a 7-2 victory against the Phillies on Monday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 33-year-old now has 37 homers this season, giving him his most since 2016. He's also just four away from tying his career high from 2015. Donaldson has five homers in his last nine games and four already this month. He is batting .262 with 88 RBI, 90 runs and four steals as well in 496 at-bats. |
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| Sep 8 2019 | Donaldson went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Nationals. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 33-year-old is on another tear, going deep in consecutive games and four times in his last seven contests while slashing .364/.517/.955 and racking up nine RBI. Donaldson now has 36 homers on the year, leaving him with 19 games left on the schedule to slug five more and tie his career high of 41, set during his MVP campaign of 2015. |
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| Sep 2 2019 | Donaldson went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, walk and three runs in a 6-3 victory | against the Blue Jays on Monday. |
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| Aug 31 2019 | Donaldson went 0-for-1 with four walks and two runs scored in Friday's 10-7 win | over the White Sox. |
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| Aug 25 2019 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs Sunday against the Mets. | |
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| Aug 24 2019 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Saturday's 9-5 win over | the Mets. |
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| Aug 17 2019 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in Saturday's 4-3 win over | the Dodgers. |
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| Aug 15 2019 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and a walk in the Braves' 10-8 | loss to the Mets on Thursday. |
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| Aug 14 2019 | Donaldson went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Tuesday's win over the Mets. | |
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| Aug 7 2019 | Donaldson went 1-for-3 with a double, two walks and a run Tuesday in the Braves' | 12-7 win over the Twins. |
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| Jul 31 2019 | Donaldson went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run Tuesday in the Braves' 11-8 win | over the Nationals. |
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| Jul 23 2019 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI on Tuesday against the Royals. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jul 21 2019 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's victory over Washington. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jul 20 2019 | Donaldson went 1-for-3 with two walks and an RBI in Friday's 4-3 win over the Nationals. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jul 18 2019 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run and four RBI in Wednesday's loss to the Brewers. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jul 13 2019 | Donaldson went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, three runs scored and two walks in Saturday's 7-5 extra-inning win over the Padres. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jul 12 2019 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in Friday's 5-3 victory over the Padres. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jul 8 2019 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a double, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Sunday's win over the Marlins. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jul 5 2019 | Donaldson went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in a win against the Phillies on Thursday. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jul 3 2019 | Donaldson went 1-for-3 with two runs scored, a three-run home run and a walk in Wednesday's 9-2 win over Philadelphia. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jun 23 2019 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's win over the Nationals. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jun 21 2019 | Donaldson won his appeal and will not be suspended for his part in a benches-clearing brawl against the Pirates back on June 10, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com<\/a> reports. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jun 19 2019 | Donaldson went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk Wednesday against the Mets. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jun 18 2019 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Tuesday against the Mets. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jun 17 2019 | Donaldson went 3-for-4 with a double and a two-run home run in Sunday's rout of the Phillies. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jun 16 2019 | Donaldson went 3-for-4 with a double and a three-run home run in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Phillies. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jun 15 2019 | Donaldson went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 9-8 win over the Phillies. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jun 11 2019 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 7-5 rain-shortened victory against the Pirates on Tuesday. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jun 11 2019 | Donaldson was suspended for one game following Monday's night's altercation, but he'll appeal the ban and is in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Pirates, David O'Brien of The Athletic<\/a> reports. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jun 5 2019 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with two walks, a three-run home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's win over the Pirates. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| May 22 2019 | Donaldson is not in Wednesday's lineup<\/a> against the Giants. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| May 19 2019 | Donaldson is out of the lineup<\/a> for Sunday's game against the Brewers. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| May 18 2019 | Donaldson went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's win over the Brewers. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| May 12 2019 | Donaldson is out of the lineup<\/a> for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| May 10 2019 | Donaldson went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Diamondbacks. | Subscribe now<\/a> to instantly reveal our take on this news. |
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| Jul 21 2018 | Donaldson (calf) is going through a running program at the Blue Jays' minor league complex with "good intensity" but still doesn't have a timetable for his return, MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm reports. | Given that Donaldson hasn't played since May 28 and already has had one setback in his attempt to return, look for him to have more than a token rehab assignment once he advances to that stage. |
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| Jul 10 2018 | Donaldson (calf) resumed baseball activities Tuesday, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports. | He has begun a running progression with no symptoms, which is a good sign for someone recovering from a calf injury. Donaldson reportedly resumed hitting last week, so he may be nearing a rehab stint. |
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| Jul 3 2018 | Donaldson (calf) will resume hitting later in the week, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports. | Donaldson appeared to be nearing a return from his calf injury before suffering a setback in late June. He's restarting his activity progression with no symptoms and will begin to hit again soon. It remains unclear when he'll return to big-league action. |
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| Jun 26 2018 | Donaldson suffered a setback with his injured left calf and will be reevaluated in three weeks, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports. | Donaldson had a shot to rejoin the Blue Jays before the end of June, but he aggravated his calf injury while taking ground balls at the Blue Jays' spring training complex, and will now likely be out at least another month. The Blue Jays figure to provide more details on Donaldson's status in the near future. |
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| Jun 22 2018 | Donaldson (calf) is not expected to rejoin the Blue Jays on their current road series in Anaheim or Houston but, with a smooth recovery, could be activated during their next homestand that starts June 29, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports. | The third baseman is working out in Florida and will be sent on a minor-league rehab assignment when he proves capable of game activities. Fantasy managers setting lineups next week may only get a three-game series out of Donaldson, who's hasn't seen game action since May 28. |
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| Jun 20 2018 | Donaldson (calf) will not travel with the Blue Jays when they travel to Los Angeles on Thursday to begin a four-game series with the Angels, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. | Donaldson is expected to continue rehabbing in Florida before eventually heading out on a brief minor-league rehab assignment when deemed ready, likely ruling out a return over the weekend. At this point, the veteran third baseman remains without a timetable for his return as the Blue Jays continue to handle him with care. |
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| Jun 15 2018 | Donaldson (calf) will not be activated from the disabled list Friday, John Lott of The Athletic Toronto reports. | Donaldson ran the bases Thursday but still needs some more running so that he can "be competitive when he returns," according to general manager Ross Atkins. His return date is not yet known. |
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| Jun 13 2018 | Donaldson (calf) is set to run the bases during the Blue Jays' off day Thursday before potentially heading out on a short rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet.ca reports. | Manager John Gibbons was noncommittal when discussing Donaldson's timetable, but it appears as though the plan is for the third baseman to compete in a a minor-league game or two before returning to the field with Toronto. More should be known regarding his status following Thursday's series of baserunning drills. |
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| Jun 11 2018 | Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Sunday that Donaldson (calf) has been taking batting practice and fielding grounders, but relayed the third baseman won't be activated from the 10-day disabled list until he completes a series of baserunning tests, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports. | Since Donaldson hasn't been shut down from baseball activities and is simply waiting for the soreness in his left calf to subside enough for him to run comfortably, the Blue Jays are continuing to view him as day-to-day. Toronto likely won't have a firm target date for Donaldson's return from the DL until he's able to do the baserunning drills, but once that happens, his activation could quickly follow. Donaldson has been sidelined for around two weeks with the injury, so he won't necessarily require a minor-league rehab assignment before being activated. |
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| Jun 10 2018 | The Blue Jays didn't activate Donaldson (calf) from the 10-day disabled list ahead of Sunday's series finale against the Orioles, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports. | There had been optimism that Donaldson would return from the DL at some point over the weekend, but the third baseman apparently hasn't quite made a full recovery from the left calf injury that he sustained May 28. While Toronto hasn't indicated that Donaldson has endured a setback, he may need to complete a few more on-field workouts before the team is comfortable signing off on his activation. |
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| Jun 8 2018 | Donaldson (calf) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against Baltimore. | Donaldson was eligible to return from the 10-day DL on Friday, but it doesn't look as though he will be activated after being left off the lineup card. The third baseman was unsure if he'd be ready when asked about his availability Thursday, and manager John Gibbons echoed his sentiment, so continue to monitor this situation moving forward. |
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| Jun 7 2018 | Donaldson (calf) will be eligible to return from the 10-day DL on Friday but manager John Gibbons admitted that he's unsure if the third baseman will be activated immediately, Mike Wilner of BlueJaysTalk reports. | It sounds like Donaldson will be back at some point this weekend, but anything more than that is fairly unknown at this point. One thing that Gibbons did reiterate was that Donaldson will be the everyday third baseman upon his reinstatement, which indicates that the club isn't going to rush him back unless he's as close as possible to full health. Expect an update on his status prior to Friday's game. |
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| Jun 1 2018 | Donaldson (calf) remains out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Tigers, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports. | Donaldson is not in the lineup for the third consecutive game -- even with Thursday's off day -- since suffering the calf injury Monday. The 32-year-old indicated earlier this week he doesn't believe the injury to be serious, and likely still hope to return at some point for this weekend's series in Detroit. |
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| Jun 1 2018 | Donaldson (calf) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Friday, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports. | Donaldson tested his injured calf before Friday's game and clearly it did not respond well. Lefty reliever Tim Mayza was recalled in a corresponding roster move while Yangervis Solarte appears set to take over at third base, although the Blue Jays could decide to promote top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. if Donaldson needs more than the minimum 10 days. Donaldson's stint was backdated to May 29. |
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| May 30 2018 | Donaldson (calf) is not in Wednesday's starting lineup against the Red Sox, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports. | Donaldson likely won't return to the lineup until Friday against Detroit, following a scheduled off day Thursday. Manager John Gibbons stated it's "highly unlikely" that Donaldson would be available to pinch hit Wednesday, per Hazel Mae. In his absence, Gio Urshela gets the nod at third and will bat ninth. |
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| May 29 2018 | Donaldson (calf) is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Red Sox, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports. | Donaldson left Monday's game early with a calf injury, but he doesn't believe the injury to be serious. He stated that the Blue Jays would likely give him the day off Tuesday regardless of how he felt, so it's difficult to predict whether Donaldson will penciled into the lineup for Wednesday's series finale versus Boston. Russell Martin will take over at third base and bat sixth in his stead. |
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| May 28 2018 | Donaldson was removed from Monday's game against the Red Sox with left calf tightness, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports. | Donaldson appeared to suffer the injury while running the bases in the fifth inning, as he gingerly made his way to third base on a double from Justin Smoak before being replaced on the bases by Gio Urshela. The severity of the issue remains unclear at this point, but he spent some time on the disabled list at the start of last season with a right calf injury. He is currently be evaluated by the Blue Jays' medical staff. |
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| May 28 2018 | Donaldson exited Monday's game against the Red Sox with an apparent injury. | Donaldson was 1-for-1 with a pair of walks prior to exiting the game in the fifth inning. Specifics regarding the injury remain unclear, but the third baseman was running gingerly around the bases before Gio Urshela replaced him as a pinch runner. |
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| May 28 2018 | Donaldson doesn't believe the calf issue that forced him out of Monday's game against the Red Sox is serious, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports. | Donaldson exited the game in the fifth inning with left calf tightness, being replaced by Gio Urshela after going 1-for-1 with a pair of walks. The good news is the third baseman didn't sound worried about the issue afterwards, comparing it to the calf cramps he dealt with in spring training that forced him to miss a couple of Grapefruit League games rather than the calf strain that sent him to the disabled list last season. Donaldson added that his presence in Tuesday's lineup will depend on how he feels, though he admitted the Blue Jays would likely give him a day off regardless. |
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| May 10 2018 | Donaldson went 3-for-4 with a double Thursday against the Mariners. | Donaldson had been in a prolonged slump since returning to the lineup, recording only five hits in 29 at-bats entering Thursday's game. However, this performance was a step forward as he doubled off Mike Leake and was one of the few bright spots in the Blue Jays' lineup. While there have been no indications from the team that his shoulder injury is hindering his performance, he is now slugging just .494 in 79 at-bats -- his lowest mark since 2014. |
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| May 3 2018 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in the second game of a double-header against the Indians on Thursday. | Donaldson returned to the lineup Thursday after missing three weeks due to shoulder inflammation. He started at third base in the afternoon game while remaining in the lineup as the designated hitter for the second game of the double-header. Regardless of his defensive role, he showed no signs of rust, blasting a home run in each game while also recording two doubles. Thursday's performances added to his elite power production and his slugging percentage is now .579 in 57 at-bats this season. |
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| May 3 2018 | The Blue Jays activated Donaldson (shoulder) from the 10-day disabled list Thursday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. | Donaldson missed just over three weeks with right shoulder inflammation, but the Blue Jays are confident the star third baseman won't experience any further issues with his throwing after taking the time off to recover from the injury. The 32-year-old recently completed a two-game rehab assignment at High-A Dunedin, going 2-for-5 with a walk in those contests. Perhaps more importantly, Donaldson logged seven innings at the hot corner Tuesday and made crisp throws on each of three occasions he needed to retire a batter at first base. The Blue Jays haven't revealed their lineup for the first game of their doubleheader Thursday against the Indians, but it's generally expected that Donaldson will start at third base in at least one of the contests while heading to the bench or serving as the designated hitter for the other contest. |
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| May 2 2018 | Donaldson (shoulder) went 2-for-2 with a walk while playing seven innings at third base Tuesday in a rehab game at High-A Dunedin. | Per John Lott of The Athletic Toronto, Donaldson made a fielding error, but handled the other three groundballs he received on the day and successfully threw out the runner at first base. That provides some optimism that his shoulder is no longer inhibiting his throwing, but Donaldson will still probably need to get in another game or two in the minors before the Blue Jays consider bringing him back from the 10-day disabled list, likely at some point over the weekend. |
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| May 2 2018 | Donaldson (shoulder) will join the Blue Jays in Cleveland on Thursday and will likely be activated from the 10-day disabled list prior to Thursday's series opener against the Indians, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. | Donaldson played seven innings at third base in his second rehab game with High-A Dunedin on Tuesday and reported no issues, clearing the way for him to rejoin the big club after spending the past two and a half weeks on the shelf with shoulder inflammation. The 32-year-old, who was hitting .239/.352/.457 with three homers prior to landing on the DL, will immediately slot back into the heart of the Blue Jays' lineup once activated. |
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| Apr 30 2018 | Donaldson (shoulder) will play third base in a rehab game Tuesday, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports. | Donaldson was able to act as the designated hitter in his first rehab game Saturday, but it seems like he'll finally be able to return to the hot corner in an actual game shortly. No firm timetable for his return has been released, though Chisholm noted that a return Friday when the Blue Jays play in Tampa Bay would make sense given that Donaldson is currently rehabbing with the team's affiliate in Dunedin, which is less than an hour away from Tropicana Field. |
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| Apr 29 2018 | Donaldson (shoulder) went 0-for-3 while serving as the designated hitter for High-A Dunedin in a rehab game Saturday. | According to Hazel Mae of Sportsnet, Blue Jays skipper John Gibbons said Sunday that Donaldson could be on pace to return from the 10-day disabled list next weekend, ahead of Toronto's three-game road set in Tampa. Donaldson's activation will likely be contingent on him playing third base and throwing across the diamond without any issue during the rehab assignment. The limitations the shoulder presented defensively for Donaldson were at the root of his placement on the DL earlier this month, as he had been slashing a palatable .239/.352/.457 prior to the shutdown. |
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| Apr 27 2018 | Donaldson (shoulder) will begin his rehab assignment Saturday, serving as designated hitter for High-A Dunedin, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports. | Donaldson threw to bases earlier Friday, clearing the final hurdle to begin his rehab assignment. The 31-year-old has been on the disabled list since April 11 with shoulder inflammation, and it's unclear how long of a rehab assignment he is expected to require. |
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| Apr 27 2018 | Donaldson (shoulder) threw to bases Friday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. | This was the final hurdle to overcome before a rehab assignment. Manager John Gibbons said that it's unclear when Donaldson will rehab with an affiliate, but it appears that the star third baseman is very close to a return to the active roster. |
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| Apr 25 2018 | Donaldson (shoulder) moved to long toss and will be required to throw across the diamond before embarking on a rehab assignment, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. | Donaldson was able to resume throwing last week and appears to be nearing a rehab assignment by this weekend if he continues on this progression. Expect another update once he proves that he can handle the throw from third to first in the coming days. |
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| Apr 24 2018 | Manager John Gibbons said Donaldson (shoulder) could embark on a minor-league rehab assignment later in the week, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. | Donaldson, who recently resumed throwing, continues to make solid progress as works his way back from inflammation in his throwing shoulder. The Blue Jays are expected to reevaluate him Wednesday, and if everything checks out, the stud third baseman could be cleared to return to game action by the end of the week. A timetable for his return to the big-league lineup will hopefully come into focus once he kicks off a rehab assignment. |
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| Apr 19 2018 | Donaldson (shoulder) resumed throwing in Florida on Thursday but will not return against the Yankees this weekend, Gregor Chisholm of MLb.com reports. | Manager John Gibbons added that Donaldson "felt great," though there isn't a precise timetable for his return at the moment. Donaldson is eligible to return Saturday, but it appears as though both parties are viewing his reinstatement during the club's six-game home stand starting Tuesday. |
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| Apr 18 2018 | Donaldson (shoulder) is expected to need more than 10 days on the disabled list, and is unlikely to return against the Yankees at any point this weekend, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. | Donaldson was initially placed on the DL retroactive to April 11, though manager John Gibbons doesn't think he will be ready to return Saturday, which is when he would be eligible to come off the shelf. Gibbons didn't make any promises heading into next week's series against Boston, starting Tuesday, but that seems to be the target date for Donaldson at this point in time. Expect another update on his status by the end of this weekend. |
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| Apr 13 2018 | Donaldson was put on the 10-day disabled list due to right shoulder inflammation, retroactive to April 11. | Donaldson has been dealing with throwing problems since the beginning of the season when manager John Gibbons declared him as having a 'dead arm,' following a batch of games where he was visibly struggling to get the ball to first base. The third baseman was briefly moved to the DH spot, but returned to his typical position against the White Sox on April 3 and has been playing the field since. Donaldson hasn't experienced any sort of setback or new injury to the shoulder, but without any noticeable improvement, Donaldson will be forced to spend some time in Florida going through a throwing program to correct the issue. In a corresponding move, Teoscar Hernandez was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo. Expect to see Yangervis Solarte earn a majority of the starts at the hot corner in Donaldson's absence. |
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| Apr 11 2018 | Donaldson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Baltimore, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. | Donaldson will spend the series finale on the bench for a standard maintenance day, his first of the 2018 season. In his place, Yangervis Solarte gets the nod at third base while batting third in the order. |
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| Apr 10 2018 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Monday's win over the Orioles. | The Blue Jays entered the ninth inning with a 2-1 lead, but Curtis Granderson took a bases-loaded walk and then Donaldson homered to blow the game wide open. Donaldson already has three homers and he's started five of the last six games at third base, so the dead-arm issue seems to be fully behind him. The 32-year-old is looking for his fourth straight 30-plus-homer season. |
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| Apr 3 2018 | Donaldson is the starting third baseman for Tuesday's tilt with the White Sox, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. | Donaldson had been limited to DH duties due to a case of dead arm, but it seems like he's feeling well enough to return to the field. He's gotten a hit in his past three contests including a homer in Monday's series opener, so it doesn't seem like the issue is overly problematic. It's still worth monitoring moving forward in case his batting average doesn't improve, though. |
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| Apr 2 2018 | The Blue Jays are hopeful that Donaldson (arm) will be back at third base Tuesday against the White Sox, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. | Donaldson visibly struggled to make throws from third base in the season opener against the Yankees and was moved to designated hitter for the remainder of the series. He was reportedly suffering from a dead arm and couldn't throw but was still able to hit. He was able to participate in long toss following Sunday's game and it appears that he won't be off the field much longer. It will be worth monitoring the issue in coming weeks to make sure that it doesn't linger and affect Donaldson's performance at the plate. |
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| Apr 1 2018 | Donaldson (dead arm) went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored in Sunday's victory over the Yankees. | In addition to making an impact at the dish during Sunday's victory over the Yankees, Donaldson was able to make progress towards returning to his usual spot at the hot corner. Per Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com, Donaldson participated in long toss and practiced making throws from third base after the game concluded. While he may not return to playing the field for a couple more days, Donaldson should continue receiving plenty of at-bats out of the DH spot. |
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| Mar 30 2018 | Donaldson (dead arm) will serve as the Blue Jays' designated hitter for the next few games until his throwing shoulder improves, MLB Network Radio reports. | The good news is that it sounds like Donaldson won't lose out on significant at-bats while he deals with this dead arm phase. Kendrys Morales will lose out on playing time with Donaldson getting starts at DH, while Yangervis Solarte serves as the team's third baseman. Gibbons noted that structurally, everything is fine with Donaldson's arm/shoulder. |
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| Mar 29 2018 | Manager John Gibbons said after Thursday's loss that Donaldson is dealing with a 'dead arm,' Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. | Donaldson simply didn't look like himself on several throws across the diamond Thursday. He had already sat out of Toronto's exhibition games in Montreal for maintenance purposes, but it's clear that his arm still isn't 100 percent. Gibbons said that this is a case of dead arm rather than any sort of injury for Donaldson. It'll be worth monitoring whether the Blue Jays opt to deploy him as the designated hitter until his arm is back to full strength. |
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| Mar 26 2018 | Donaldson said he'll sit out the Blue Jays' exhibition games in Montreal against the Cardinals on Monday and Tuesday for maintenance purposes, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. "I wouldn't say I feel amazing right now, because I don't," Donaldson said after playing five innings in the field in Sunday's 7-4 Grapefruit League loss to the Pirates. "But that's getting through some things and hopefully by Opening Day, I'll feel good." | Donaldson noted that he feels in better physical condition this spring than he did at this time last year, but he's still been slowed down a bit by a right shoulder injury, calf cramps and general body soreness in recent weeks. The health issues may have played a role in his struggles during the Grapefruit League; he recorded just four hits -- all singles -- in 27 at-bats. In order to avoid a setback heading into the season, Donaldson will remain in Florida the next two days to get in some reps in a pair of minor-league games rather than playing on the artificial turf at Olympic Stadium. Despite entering Opening Day perhaps at less-than-optimal health, Donaldson still looks like a fairly safe early-round selection coming off three consecutive years of 30-plus home runs. |
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| Mar 16 2018 | Donaldson (calf) is in the Blue Jays' lineup for Friday's game against the Phillies. | Donaldson has been out of the lineup since Sunday while dealing with a calf strain. Barring any setbacks, he'll be back in time to be fully prepared for the upcoming season. |
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| Mar 15 2018 | Donaldson indicated Thursday his calf is fine and plans to play Friday's spring game against the Phillies, John Lott of The Athletic Toronto reports. | Donaldson exited Saturday's game with calf cramps due to dehydration, but underwent acupuncture earlier this week and feels ready to go. The 32-year-old has 11 spring training at-bats thus far as he has also battled a shoulder injury, but appears otherwise healthy with Opening Day less than two weeks away. |
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| Mar 13 2018 | Donaldson has been battling calf cramps due to dehydration, John Lott of The Athletic Toronto reports. | Donaldson's injury wasn't thought to be serious, but it's reassuring for that belief to be confirmed. Even though the team won't rush him back, there's no reason to think that the 32-year-old won't be ready to go when Opening Day arrives. |
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| Mar 13 2018 | Donaldson (illness) is dealing with a calf injury, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. | Donaldson had been fighting an illness, but it appears that a calf injury is also giving him some troubles. Manager John Gibbons was fairly vague when addressing Donaldson's injury, although he indicated that he'd likely be ready to return by the end of the week. However, the Blue Jays will likely be cautious with their star third baseman in an effort to have him healthy for Opening Day. |
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| Mar 13 2018 | Donaldson (illness) isn't listed in the lineup for Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Braves, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. | Donaldson hasn't played since Saturday after experiencing dehydration and is apparently still in need of additional rest. After being eased into spring training while recovering from a minor shoulder issue, Donaldson has logged just 11 at-bats during Grapefruit League play. If he's able to shake off the illness in the coming days and return to the lineup, Donaldson should suit up at least semi-regularly for the rest of the spring and get in enough at-bats for the Blue Jays to feel comfortable deploying him on an everyday basis when the season begins. |
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| Mar 11 2018 | Donaldson (illness) isn't listed in the lineup or as an available bench option for Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. | Donaldson, who has been nursing a minor shoulder issue in spring training, was able to return to the lineup Saturday against the Nationals, but exited early than expected after experiencing dehydration. The Blue Jays are likely just giving him another day to rest and get his energy back up, so he should return to the field at some point early this week. |
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| Mar 10 2018 | Donaldson (shoulder) was removed from Saturday's contest against the Nationals after drawing a walk in the bottom of the first inning, Mike Wilner of BlueJaysTalk reports. | Donaldson has been battling a minor right shoulder issue throughout the course of spring camp and it appeared to have cropped up again during Saturday's game. In the top of the first frame, Donaldson fielded a ground ball at third base but was unable to get enough on the throw to nail the Victor Robles at first, which shouldn't be scrutinized yet isn't a great sign for the 32-year-old. Expect an update on his status in the coming hours/days. |
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| Mar 10 2018 | Donaldson (shoulder) exited Saturday's game against the Nationals due to dehydration, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports. | Donaldson has been battling a shoulder issue throughout camp, but the early exit was apparently unrelated to his shoulder. It's an unusual situation and a potential yellow flag for the veteran third baseman, but it's entirely possible that this was a one-off case of dehydration and that the team didn't feel the need to push things in a Grapefruit League contest. |
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| Mar 6 2018 | Donaldson (shoulder) will bat third and man third base in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Braves, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports. | It marks the spring debut at third base for Donaldson, who had made each of his previous three starts in Grapefruit League play at designated hitter. Donaldson should see his reps at third base pick up as Opening Day draws nearer, but his veteran status ensures the Blue Jays won't overwork him during spring training as manager John Gibbons looks to assess fringier options on the roster. |
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| Mar 3 2018 | Donaldson's right shoulder is "hanging a little bit" according to manager John Gibbons, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports. | Donaldson has appeared in two Grapefruit League games, both as a designated hitter. The team expects him to start at third base Tuesday. The 32-year-old has dealt with a variety of injures over the past few years, though the fact that he's already played through this one, at least as a designated hitter, suggests that it's not likely to significantly impact his season. |
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| Jan 12 2018 | Donaldson agreed to a one-year, $23 million deal with the Blue Jays on Friday to avoid arbitration, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. | Although this figure isn't particularly surprising considering Donaldson's abilities, it marks the largest arbitration agreement in the history of the league. During the 2017 season, Donaldson hit .270/.385/.559 with 33 home runs and 78 RBI. Besides missing six weeks of the season due to a calf injury in the spring, the 32-year-old nearly put together another MVP-type campaign, ranking fifth in baseball with a 160 wRC+ after the All-Star break. Expect more of the same from the third baseman in 2018. |
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| Oct 1 2017 | Donaldson expressed interest in signing a contract extension with the Blue Jays while talking to reporters on Sunday, according to Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. | "I've made it known to our front office that I enjoy being a Toronto Blue Jay, that I enjoy my time here," Donaldson said. "If it's a possibility, I would definitely enjoy being a Blue Jay for a long time. I'm not going to sit here and try to force their hand, and they're not going to sit here and force mine." Donaldson finished the season on a high note after battling a calf injury in the first half, hitting .276/.386/.606 with 24 homers and 53 RBI in 67 games after the All-Star break. Donaldson will go to arbitration for the final time this offseason, so the Jays have one year of control remaining if they want to keep him without making a long-term commitment. |
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| Oct 1 2017 | Donaldson is out of the lineup Sunday against the Yankees. | Donaldson will give way to Darwin Barney at the hot corner Sunday afternoon. Donaldson dealt with injuries throughout the year and was only able to play in 113 games. He was extremely efficient in that time, as he slugged 33 home runs and notched 78 RBI. However, he did experience a dip in terms of average, as he hit .270 this season, down from 2016's mark of .284. |
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| Sep 29 2017 | The Cardinals plan to make a strong push to acquire Donaldson at the conclusion of the 2017 season, Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports reports. | Donaldson, who is in the final year of arbitration eligibility, is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2018. If the Cardinals were to acquire the 31-year-old veteran, its lineup would immediately receive an offensive boost, but Donaldson's output isn't guaranteed the same results. Since making the Rogers Centre his home in 2015, the MVP third baseman owns a .301 batting average with a .996 OPS and 165 wRC+ through 214 games at his home field in Toronto. During that same stretch, Donaldson's numbers take a noticeable dip when on the road, hitting just .271 with a .901 OPS and 144 wRC+ over 210 games. Dynasty owners should monitor this situation closely, as a move out of the hitter-friendly Rogers Centre would likely decrease Donaldson's preseason value next year. |
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| Sep 26 2017 | Donaldson went 3-for-5 with a pair of solo homers against the Red Sox on Tuesday. | Both came off star left-hander Chris Sale, and they pushed Donaldson's homer total to 33 in just 110 games this season. If not for the time he missed to injury earlier this year, Donaldson would surely have cleared 40 long balls by now, and while his batting average is down from the last two seasons, he's drawing walks at a higher pace while unleashing his power stroke with regularity. At 31 years old, he should have a number of seasons left as one of the game's top third basemen. |
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| Sep 25 2017 | Donaldson went 3-for-3 with a solo home runs, three RBI and a walk in Monday's game against Boston. | Donaldson continued his late-season surge by tacking on his eighth home run, and 17th RBI of the month. The long ball also marked his MLB-leading 14th first-inning homer of the year, and dating back to Aug. 1, only Giancarlo Stanton (24) and J.D. Martinez (22) have more blasts than Donaldson (20). |
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| Sep 16 2017 | Donaldson went 4-for-5 with two solo home runs, a stolen base and four runs scored during Saturday's win over Minnesota. | It's been a monster series for Donaldson, as he's gone 8-for-13 with two homers, five RBI and five runs. He's up to a .931 OPS for the year after posting an .868 mark in the first half of the season. Donaldson's second-half surge has reaffirmed his position as a top fantasy third baseman. |
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| Sep 11 2017 | Donaldson (illness) is serving as Toronto's designated hitter and hitting third Monday against the Orioles, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports. | After missing four games with a cold, Donaldson is ready to return to the lineup Monday. He'll head into a favorable matchup, as the struggling Ubaldo Jimenez is taking the mound for Baltimore. |
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| Sep 10 2017 | Donaldson (illness) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers. | Donaldson will miss his third consecutive game as he continues to battle a bad cold. He shouldn't be sidelined much longer, but Darwin Barney will continue to fill his void at the hot corner in the meantime. |
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| Sep 9 2017 | Donaldson (illness) is not in the lineup against the Tigers on Saturday. | Donaldson will miss a second straight game due to the flu, while Darwin Barney draws the start at third. The 31-year-old should be considered day-to-day. |
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| Sep 8 2017 | Donaldson was scratched from the lineup for Friday's game against the Tigers, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. | There hasn't been any word as to why Donaldson was removed from Friday's lineup card at this point in time, but the third baseman will miss the series opener following Thursday's scheduled off day. In his place, Richard Urena was placed in the starting nine, batting ninth and manning third base. Donaldson should be considered day-to-day until more information becomes present. |
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| Sep 8 2017 | Donaldson was removed from Friday's lineup card due to an illness, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. | Donaldson should be considered day-to-day after catching a cold that was plaguing a few of his teammates in recent days. If the third baseman is forced to miss any additional time, manager John Gibbons may choose to place Jose Bautista at third and give Ezequiel Carrera a start in the outfield during Saturday's contest. For the time being, Richard Urena replaced Donaldson in the lineup for the series opner. |
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| Sep 6 2017 | Donaldson is out of Wednesday's lineup against the Red Sox. | He got six at-bats before getting ejected in the 18th inning of Tuesday's 19-inning loss in Boston. The Blue Jays are understandably resting some of their regulars the day after that marathon game. Darwin Barney will start at third base and hit seventh. |
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| Sep 3 2017 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run during Sunday's loss to Baltimore. | 2017 looked like a lost season for Donaldson, but he's now launched 16 bombs through his past 34 games and is up to a .261/.384/.534 slash line for the campaign. It's safe to say that he warrants mention among the elite fantasy bats again. |
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| Aug 30 2017 | Donaldson is out of Wednesday's lineup against the Red Sox. | After seeing time at shortstop in four games earlier this month, Donaldson has retreated back to the hot corner for the last week. His bat has been the bigger story this month, however, as he has 12 home runs and 27 RBI in 95 August at-bats. Darwin Barney will start at third base and hit seventh. |
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| Aug 22 2017 | Manager John Gibbons slyly suggested that he'll continue deploying Donaldson at shortstop routinely through the end of the season, Richard Griffin of The Toronto Star reports. | Shifting the slugger up the middle, and moving Jose Bautista to third base, gives Gibbons a chance to bolster his offense through the outfield. Donaldson has played three games at short thus far, and the Jays have 38 games remaining on the schedule. Judging by the sound of it, the third baseman should be able to gain eligibility at shortstop in the near future. Even more exciting is the prospect of Donaldson logging enough time this year to enter 2018 with that same flexibility. |
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| Aug 22 2017 | Donaldson is starting at shortstop and hitting second Tuesday against the Rays. | The Blue Jays will indeed continue to give Donaldson starts at shortstop, despite the fact that they are no longer playing in a National League ballpark. It may depend on league parameters, but at this rate, Donaldson has a chance to qualify at shortstop and third base next season. He is hitting .265/.393/.526 with 20 home runs in 81 games this season. |
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| Aug 20 2017 | Donaldson will make his first career start at shortstop Sunday against the Cubs. | Manager John Gibbons is doing everything (and anything) he can think of to find offense before the playoff door officially closes on Toronto. Donaldson has been shuffled over to shortstop twice already, so Sunday will give him three games at the position. Depending on league requirements, the slugger has an outside chance of picking up shortstop eligibility before the end of 2017, if Gibbons likes what he sees Sunday. |
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| Aug 17 2017 | Donaldson went 2-or-3 with two solo home runs and three runs scored during Thursday's win over Tampa Bay. | Donaldson now has 10 homers, 22 RBI and 16 runs through his past 16 games and is up to a .272/.397/.543 slash line for the campaign. Injuries and a poor stretch after returning from the disabled list limited Donaldson's fantasy value for most of the season, but he's certainly made up for lost time recently. |
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| Aug 15 2017 | Donaldson went 2-for-3 with a walk and a three-run home run in Tuesday's 6-4 loss to the Rays. | Finally healthy, Donaldson is trying to make up for lost time and keep the Jays in the AL wild-card chase with homers in three straight games, along with a .364 (16-for-44) batting average, seven home runs and 19 RBI through 13 games in August. The 2015 AL MVP has a disappointing 18 homers and 50 RBI on the year, but he's more than capable of carrying a fantasy squad down the stretch. |
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| Aug 14 2017 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with two-run homer, his 17th of the year, in Monday's win over the Rays. | Donaldson's blast in the opening frame turned out to be the difference in the Jays' 2-1 home win. The third baseman has nine long balls in the first inning this season, tying him with George Spring for first in the AL -- and three back from Bryce Harper for the MLB lead. He's been on fire this month, going 14-for-41 (.341) with six home runs, 16 RBI and 10 runs. |
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| Aug 8 2017 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a pair of two-run homers in Tuesday's victory over the Yankees. | In his first two at-bats (first and third inning), Donaldson delivered a souvenir to the outfield bleachers for his 15th and 16th home runs of the year. Tuesday's power display gave the slugger six long balls over his last 10 games while pushing Donaldson's slugging percentage (.486) to its highest point since July 1. As summer winds down, the veteran is heating up. Through six contest this month, he's 6-for-21 (.286) with four homers, two doubles, nine RBI and seven runs. |
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| Aug 2 2017 | Donaldson homered for the third straight day, going 1-for-3 with two runs and a pair of walks in Wednesday's win against the White Sox. | Wednesday marked Donaldson's first stretch of three games with a homer since August of 2015. He hasn't quite been himself this season, entering Wednesday with a .463 slugging percentage -- his worst such mark since joining the Jays three seasons ago. The good news is that Donaldson seems to be righting the ship at a critical point in the fantasy season. Over his last 10 games, the third baseman has raised his slash line from .236/.356/.422 to .250/.373/.474. |
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| Jul 30 2017 | Donaldson is out of the lineup Sunday against the Angels, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. | The Blue Jays will roll out their "B" lineup for the series finale, as Troy Tulowitzki's recent placement on the disabled list |
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| Jul 19 2017 | Donaldson went 1-for-7 with a strikeout in Tuesday's 15-inning loss to the Red Sox. | The big news here is that Donaldson appeared to be in pain after tagging out Xander Bogaerts in the 11th inning, but remained in the game anyway. Nothing has been announced about a possible injury, so it could be nothing, but it is something to monitor over the next couple days to see if any side effects linger. |
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| Jul 8 2017 | Donaldson went 1-for-1 with a three-run homer, three walks and two runs Saturday against the Astros. | Donaldson blasted his ninth homer of the season to erase a one-run deficit which helped the Blue Jays pick up a home victory. The blast was his first since June 11, and he's now slugging .478, and hopefully he'll get back on track as the second half of the season approaches. |
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| Jul 6 2017 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run during Thursday's win over Houston. | After receiving a breather Wednesday and starting the month in an 0-for-13 slump, this was an encouraging showing form for Donaldson. He's been limited to just 43 games and owns a disappointing .238/.350/.457 slash line for the campaign, but there's still potential for a strong second half. Pouncing on a buy-low opportunity could pay off handsomely. |
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| Jul 5 2017 | Donaldson is out of the starting lineup Wednesday against the Yankees. | Donaldson is off to a rough start this month, going 0-for-13 with seven strikeouts through four games, so he'll get a chance to clear his head Wednesday. In what has already been a disappointing season, the 31-year-old's 1.0 WAR this season is far below his 8.15 average since arriving in Toronto back in 2014. Russell Martin will get the start at third base in his absence. |
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| Jul 4 2017 | Donaldson extended his slump to 1-for-26 after going 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts Tuesday against the Yankees. | The slugger has just one hit over his last eight games, and Donaldson's batting average is down to a season-low .238. He hasn't homered since June 11, and the third baseman owns a 16:6 K:BB over his last 11 contests. To say Donaldson has struggled of late would be an understatement, but the 31-year-old is too good to allow this slump to work its way past the upcoming break. |
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| Jun 23 2017 | Donaldson (knee) will start at third base Friday against the Royals, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet reports. | Donaldson was scratched from Thursday's lineup with left knee soreness, but is seemingly good to go after getting a pass from the trainers Friday. The third baseman will be hitting third in the order for the series opener. |
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| Jun 22 2017 | Donaldson (knee) is looking to play Friday for the series opener against the Royals, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports. | Donaldson stated that he didn't believe this was a serious injury and it stemmed from hitting his knee on the concrete while stretching earlier this week. He has dealt with the swelling in the past couple games before getting scratched from the lineup for Thursday's contest. Donaldson is day-to-day for now, but is basically a 50/50 decision for Friday. |
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| Jun 22 2017 | Donaldson has been scratched from the Blue Jays' lineup Thursday with left knee soreness, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports. | The last-minute change deprives the Jays of their No. 3 hitter. Kendrys Morales will give up his day off and instead hit third Thursday. As for Donaldson, the club should provide more details in the near future, but considering his lower-body issues this year, this deserves at least a close look. |
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| Jun 11 2017 | Donaldson went 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and two runs in Sunday's win over Seattle. | The Bringer of Rain drove his eighth homer of the season to opposite field in the first inning, giving the Jays all the offense it needed to take down Seattle 4-0. Since returning from a lengthy disabled list stay, Donaldson has mashed five home runs while putting together a 1.080 OPS in 13 games. He's also tallied nine RBI, six runs and eight walks during that stretch. Needless to say, Donaldson has rounded into form and once again looks like an MVP-caliber player. |
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| Jun 7 2017 | Donaldson went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run and three walks in Wednesday's win over Oakland. | Donaldson didn't have a hit during the first nine innings on Wednesday, but he got a big one in the 10th. His two-run homer was his second game-winning long ball in a week. It hasn't taken the 2015 AL MVP long to get his power stroke going. In just 11 games since his return from the disabled list, Donaldson has five home runs. You can expect more of the same as long as he remains healthy. |
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| Jun 4 2017 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Sunday against the Yankees. | The third baseman made the most of his only hit Sunday. Donaldson's eighth-inning blast completed the comeback and proved to be the game-winner in the Jays 3-2 victory. Three of his four hits during the four-game series were long balls, and Donaldson also notched three RBI and three runs over the weekend affair. |
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| Jun 2 2017 | Donaldson went 2-for-5 with a pair of solo homers Friday against the Yankees. | Donaldson got the Blue Jays on the board in the first inning before adding an insurance run in the sixth inning of a home victory. although he has fewer than 60 at-bats on the season, he hasn't disappointed when on the field, as evidenced by his elite .296/.377/.648 slash line to go with his five homers. |
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| May 31 2017 | Donaldson (calf) is expected to sit out Wednesday's matinee against Cincinnati for precautionary reasons, Steve Buffery of the Toronto Sun reports. | When John Gibbons was asked if Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki -- both recently activated from long DL stints -- would make the quick turnaround after Tuesday night's action, the skipper provided a humorous response. "Wait until (Wednesday)," Gibbons said. "You trying to kill attendance?" However, the team has made clear that it will use extreme caution in easing the pair back into action, so owners should seek alternate options before Wednesday's slate kicks off. |
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| May 31 2017 | Donaldson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. | Manager John Gibbons made it clear that the team would ease Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki back into action following lengthy DL stints, and indeed both are sitting for Wednesday's early-afternoon game. This marks Donaldson's second absence in six games since his activation. He's gone 4-for-16 with a double and a homer since returning to Toronto. |
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| May 30 2017 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Tuesday's win over Cincinnati. | Donaldson tallied his first home run since coming off the disabled list four days ago. With the 2015 AL MVP back in the fold, the Blue Jays lineup suddenly looks formidable again. You can expect the big power numbers to start rolling in again as Donaldson shakes off the rust from his 42-day stint on the DL. |
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| May 26 2017 | Donaldson (calf) is scheduled to be activated from the DL and return to the Blue Jays lineup Friday against Texas, the Toronto Sun reports. | The third baseman has been out since April 14, but he returns as the Jays begin a 10-game home stand. Owners shouldn't think twice about plugging Donaldson back into their fantasy lineups immediately. |
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| May 26 2017 | Donaldson will not be in Saturday's lineup against Texas, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports Friday. | Donaldson missed 39 games with a calf injury before making his return Friday night, in which he went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. The Blue Jays have expressed a desire to take care with their star third basemen, so expect semi-regular rest days for him in his first week or two back on the roster. |
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| May 26 2017 | Donaldson was activated from the disabled list Friday and is starting at third base Friday against the Rangers, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports. | It will be Donaldson's first game action since April 13 and marks the end of a long recovery from a calf strain. With the Blue Jays beginning a 10-game home stand Friday, the All-Star slugger will have plenty of time to get back into the swing of things while returning to an everyday role. Fellow infielder Troy Tulowitzki will also make his return from the disabled list Friday, indicating a new look Toronto lineup for upcoming games. |
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| May 23 2017 | Manager John Gibbons expects Donaldson (calf) to return to the lineup sometime over the weekend against the Rangers, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. | The Blue Jays have been fairly optimistic with most of their return dates thus far, so it's worth being a bit leery about this news. However, Donaldson did begin a rehab assignment Monday night and didn't experience a setback, so a Friday return doesn't seem to be out of the question at the moment. More details on this front should come forth as Toronto's weekend series nears. |
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| May 22 2017 | Donaldson (calf) went 0-for-2 in his first rehab appearance Monday for High-A Dunedin, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports. | Donaldson has no official timetable for a return to the Blue Jays, who have missed the perennial MVP candidate since he went down in mid-April. Expect him to need a couple more rehab games at Dunedin, but it's possible that he could be back in uniform for Toronto by the end of the week. |
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| May 22 2017 | Donaldson (calf) will begin a rehab assignment at High-A Dunedin on Monday. | The Blue Jays will have their regular left side of the infield on hand with Dunedin on Monday, as shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (hamstring) had already been rehabbing in the Florida State League. Donaldson has been sidelined since mid April after aggravating a right calf injury and remains without an official timetable for a return to the big club, though his involvement in game action seemingly suggests he's not far off an activation. The Blue Jays will likely check back in on Donaldson's condition after a handful of minor-league games before updating his status. |
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| May 19 2017 | Donaldson (calf) may get into a rehab assignment early next week, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports. | There was some speculation that Donaldson could return to the lineup over the weekend, but it seems like the Blue Jays are backing away from the aggressive timetable. He seems to be primed for a couple rehab games before getting back in action. |
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| May 17 2017 | Manager John Gibbons said Donaldson (calf) won't return from the disabled list this weekend, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports. | While it was reported earlier that a return for this weekend's series against the Orioles was possible, that has now been ruled out. Gibbons noted that Donaldson didn't suffer any setbacks, but rather the Blue Jays were just overly optimistic about his return date. An updated return date wasn't provided, though it seems the star third baseman will likely be back in action sometime in the next week or so. |
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| May 15 2017 | Per manager John Gibbons, Donaldson (calf) may be ready to return to the Blue Jays for their upcoming weekend series with the Orioles, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports. | Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports that the star third baseman has been doing all baseball activities outside of playing in an actual game, which is speculated to occur fairly soon. If everything goes as planned, the Blue Jays have not ruled out that he could appear this weekend already, although it seems safe to say that Donaldson could return sometime in the next week or two. |
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| May 11 2017 | Donaldson (calf) continues to rehab in Florida, but he's still at least a couple weeks away from returning, Laura Armstrong of the Toronto Star reports. | Manager John Gibbons noted that his star third baseman is behind Troy Tulowitzki (hamstring) in the recovery process. The latter is hoping to return by the middle of next week for the series against Atlanta. Based on Tulo's timeline, fantasy owners can figure a best-case scenario would be to have Donaldson back late May. |
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| May 8 2017 | Donaldson (calf), who was previously expected to return during a nine-game homestand that begins Monday, still does not have an exact timetable to come off the disabled list, Jeff Odom of MLB.com reports. | The Jays are currently having Donaldson rehab on an anti-gravity treadmill, which he's used up to 60 percent of his body weight thus far. Before he's cleared to return, Donaldson will need to run at 100 percent of his body weight, and then move on to running around the bases at game speed. In addition to progressing through his running program, Donaldson may want to embark on a short rehab assignment to get his timing back at the plate. |
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| May 2 2017 | General manager Mark Shapiro is hopeful Donaldson (calf) will be ready to return during the team's nine-game home stand that begins on Monday, Sportsnet reports. | Donaldson has been ramping up his activity at the Jays' training facility in Dunedin, but Shapiro's comments are the first indication of a possible return date. The third baseman managed a .310/.429/.586 slash line over nine games before hitting the DL in mid-April. Darwin Barney and Chris Coghlan stand to lose time, or possibly be sent to the minors, once Donaldson returns. |
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| May 1 2017 | Donaldson (calf) is not expected to return from the disabled list during the Jays' upcoming six-game road trip, Laura Armstrong of the Toronto Star reports. | The star third baseman took batting practice at the Rogers Centre Sunday, then left for the organization's training facility in Dunedin to continue his rehab assignment. There's no set date for Donaldson's return, but he certainly appears to be moving in the right direction. |
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| Apr 29 2017 | Donaldson (calf) took batting practice on the field before Saturday's game against the Rays. | Donaldson will head to Florida on Sunday to continue his rehab process after taking batting practice with no issues. Although the 31-year-old remains without a set return date, he is nearing the halfway point of his proposed 2-to-4 week timetable, so a possible rehab assignment doesn't appear too far behind. Donaldson remains hopeful for a return in May, though more should be known about his possible return date as he continues to ramp up his rehab in Florida. |
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| Apr 18 2017 | Donaldson is expected to miss 2 to 4 weeks due to his latest calf issue, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports. | From the onset, it seemed inevitable that the third baseman would need more time to recover than the minimum 10-day DL stint, but Rosenthal's report is the first such news that verifies an elongated timetable. The Jays now hope to have the slugger back sometime in early May. Look for the current platoon situation between Darwin Barney and Chris Coghlan to continue at third base in Donaldson's absence. |
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| Apr 14 2017 | Donaldson (calf) likely will be placed on the 10-day disabled list with a calf injury Friday, Jon Paul Morosi of MLB.com reports. | Morosi said more information will be coming throughout the day, but this obviously would be a huge blow to Donaldson's fantasy owners and the Blue Jays. The stud third baseman has had a few starts and stops with this injury since spring training, but Toronto finally has decided to give him some rest. Expect Darwin Barney to get most of the hot corner work in his place, though Ryan Goins may chime in, as well. AL-only fantasy players are the target audience for these utility players. |
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| Apr 14 2017 | Donaldson (calf) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Friday, Mike Wilner of the Blue Jays Radio Network reports. | As expected, Donaldson will get the chance to fully rest his ailing calf for at least the next ten days. Chris Coghlan was called up to the big leagues to take his roster spot, but look for Darwin Barney to pick up extra playing time at the hot corner. |
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| Apr 13 2017 | Donaldson (leg) re-injured his right calf during Thursday's game against the Orioles and will be evaluated Friday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet reports | Donaldson felt a twinge of pain during his sixth-inning double Thursday, which forced him to exit the game. His re-injury certainly isn't good news considering the team had attempted to limit stress on Donaldson's calf by just using him as a designated hitter as of late. The Blue Jays have yet to offer an official diagnosis or timetable for his return, though more information will come Friday. |
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| Apr 13 2017 | Donaldson (leg) exited Thursday's game against the Orioles after running out an RBI double in the sixth inning, Sportsnet's Shi Davidi reports. | This is concerning news for Donaldson as he had been serving as the Blue Jays' designated hitter of late to limit additional stress on his ailing calf. Donaldson appeared to be fine running down the first base line in his first at-bat, but he clearly felt a twinge on his sixth-inning double. Jarrod Saltalamacchia will take over as the Blue Jays' DH for the rest of Thursday's game and more information on Donaldson's status figures to be made available later Thursday. |
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| Apr 13 2017 | Donaldson said he "felt good" on the bases in his return to the lineup Wednesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports. | The stud third baseman took a break Tuesday after tweaking his calf on Sunday and served as designated hitter Wednesday. Toronto was rightfully trying to nip any aggravation of his spring issue in the bud, and it seems to have paid off. Watch how Donaldson performs when he returns to playing the field, but he looks to be OK. |
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| Apr 12 2017 | Donaldson's current right calf issue is not the same ailment that he dealt with in spring training, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports. | "This is a completely different spot on my calf," Donaldson said. It's tough to say if this is good or bad news. On one hand, it's nice to know that Donaldson's preseason injury is not necessarily lingering. On the flip side, it's not pleasing to think that the third baseman has a new problem on his hands. Furthermore, whether the two calf injuries could be related somehow is unclear. Either way, nothing should make owners feel comfortable outside of seeing Donaldson on the field for an extended stretch of games. His status for Wednesday evening's matchup has yet to be determined, but the fact that the 31-year-old was used as a pinch hitter Tuesday is a positive sign that he's nearing a return. |
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| Apr 12 2017 | Donaldson (calf) is hitting third as the designated hitter Wednesday against the Brewers, Sportsnet's Mike Wilner reports. | He did not start Tuesday, but was used off the bench. The Blue Jays will opt to DH him for at least Wednesday's game in order to ease him back from the calf injury. Darwin Barney gets the start at the hot corner in his place, while Kendrys Morales stays in the lineup at first base. |
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| Apr 11 2017 | Donaldson is still experiencing lingering calf soreness, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet reports. | Manager John Gibbons is entertaining the idea of using Donaldson as a pinch hitter, but is taking the necessary steps to avoid aggravating his calf ailment. There hasn't been any indication that Donaldson will require a stint on the DL, so he should still be considered day-to-day. |
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| Apr 11 2017 | Donaldson (calf) is available from the bench Tuesday against the Brewers, TV broadcaster Hazel Mae reports. | After being injured Sunday, There had been some hope that Donaldson would be able to return to the lineup for Tuesday's game, but the Blue Jays have opted to be cautious with the star third baseman. Donaldson should return to the lineup in the near future, but consider him day-to-day until then. |
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| Apr 9 2017 | Donaldson left Sunday's game after injuring his calf running to first, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports. | After hitting an infield grounder, Donaldson was hustling to first in an effort to outrun the throw when he appeared to tweak his calf. He was promptly pulled from the game and replaced at the hot corner by Ryan Goins. Prior to his early exit, Donaldson had gone 1-for-3 at the plate with a home run. Further information regarding the severity of his ailment should be available in the near future. |
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| Apr 9 2017 | Donaldson received treatment on his calf Sunday and is optimistic that he'll be able to return Tuesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports. | Donaldson tweaked his calf during Sunday's game against the Rays and was forced to leave early, but his condition seems to be headed in the right direction. In addition to saying that his injury is fairly minor, Donaldson will be aided by Toronto having Monday off, giving him an extra day to recover. |
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| Apr 3 2017 | Donaldson finished 3-for-5 with a walk in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Orioles. | Donaldson failed to reach base in either of his first two at-bats, but he got on with a walk in the fifth before spraying around three singles in his final three trips to the place. He experienced an abbreviated Spring Training schedule due to a calf problem, but Monday's opener is an excellent sign for fantasy owners that he put in enough work to establish a rhythm at the plate. |
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| Mar 24 2017 | Donaldson (calf) made his first defensive appearance of the spring and went 0-for-1 with a walk in Thursday's exhibition contest against the Tigers. | The big news Monday was Donaldson logging four innings as the team's third baseman. The crowd at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium let out a roar when Toronto's star handled a routine grounder in the top of the second inning, his first assist of the spring. Bench coach DeMarlo Hale told MLB.com , "He had a good pregame where he had some movement, and threw the ball across the diamond. So it's a good sign and a good feeling to see him over there, for sure." It was certainly a relief to see Donaldson on the field, but owners should continue to closely monitor how his body responds as he ramps up his activity level. |
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| Mar 24 2017 | Donaldson is back in the Grapefruit League lineup Friday, batting third and returning to third base, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports. | The slugger returned to spring action earlier this week and played his first reps at third base Wednesday, so it's a plus that Donaldson got back out there for Toronto's second straight game. Return him safely to first-round consideration in most mixed fantasy leagues as long as he makes it through the coming days of exhibition action unscathed. |
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| Mar 22 2017 | Donaldson (calf) will play third base for the first time this spring in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against Detroit, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet reports. | The sight of the back-to-back Silver Slugger Award winner on the field will allow owners to finally exhale. Donaldson has been under a cloud of uncertainty since being diagnosed with a strained right calf in mid-February, but the slugger's recovery went without a hiccup. Regardless, it'd be irresponsible to deem Donaldson fully in the clear until he logs some innings without any interruptions. |
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| Mar 21 2017 | Donaldson declared himself to be over his calf injury after returning for his spring debut Monday against Minnesota, the Toronto Star reports. | With the late start to his Grapefruit League slate, Donaldson figures to see plenty of work during the two remaining weeks of spring training. After an off-day Tuesday, it's expected that Donaldson will resume his regular role at third base Wednesday. |
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| Mar 20 2017 | Donaldson (calf) will serve as the Blue Jays' DH and bat third in the order in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, John Lott of The Athletic Toronto reports. | Donaldson has been sidelined for much of the spring with a strained right calf, but he'll be able to make his long-awaited debut after he was able to steadily increase his activities over the last couple of weeks. Though he'll initially serve as the team's DH, it shouldn't be long before Donaldson is cleared to man his normal third base spot. With his health seemingly on solid ground, fantasy owners can probably feel comfortable investing an early-round selection in Donaldson, who has supplied 78 homers over his first two seasons with the Blue Jays. |
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| Mar 17 2017 | Donaldson (calf) will hit in a minor league game Friday, John Lott of The Athletic Toronto reports. | Donaldson remains on a cautious schedule that appears to have him set to return on or close to Opening Day. There's little reason yet to discount him as anything less than an early-second round pick in most mixed fantasy baseball leagues. |
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| Mar 14 2017 | Donaldson (calf) will get three or four at-bats in Tuesday's minor league game in Clearwater, The Athletic Toronto's John Lott reports. | It was anticipated that Donaldson would soon get into game action, and this marks the beginning of that stage in his rehab. It is unclear if he is ready for action in the field yet, but so far his status for Opening Day has not been seriously questioned. |
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| Mar 13 2017 | Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Monday that Donaldson (calf) will pick up at-bats as the team's designated hitter in major or minor league games within the next few days, John Lott of The Athletic Toronto reports. | Donaldson has battled a right calf strain for nearly a month, which has prompted the Blue Jays to ease him back into action as Opening Day approaches. He has yet to make his debut in Grapefruit League play, but it sounds like that could happen by the end of the week. If the at-bats as DH go well, Donaldson's next step would be to resume his normal duties at third base, but he's seemingly on track to do that before the regular season begins. |
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| Mar 10 2017 | Donaldson (calf) is expected to play spring games in seven to 10 days, likely starting off as a designated hitter, according to manager John Gibbons, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet reports. | The stud third baseman probably won't need many at-bats to convince Toronto that he's ready for the season, though fantasy players who spend a first- or second-round mixed league pick on him would like to see Donaldson take some reps that count. |
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| Mar 7 2017 | According to his manager, Donaldson is "moving around pretty good" and not far off from making his spring debut, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet reports. | Donaldson has been hitting outside, long tossing and taking ground balls, but must try running before playing in Grapefruit League games. That hasn't happened yet, but the Jays are encouraged by the third baseman's progress. At this point, his status for Opening Day doesn't appear to be a concern. |
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| Mar 4 2017 | Donaldson (calf) says he is "very happy" with his progression from a calf strain and "way better" than last week, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet Canada reports. | It's great news to hear Donaldson talk positively about his recovery. The three-time All-Star has been gradually increasing his workload throughout camp and will likely aim to begin running within the coming week. "The fact is we're trying to give it some time to heal up and make sure we're not rushing it at this point," he said. There's still plenty of spring left, so expect Donaldson to receive ample Grapefruit League playing time upon his return. |
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| Mar 2 2017 | Donaldson (calf) took groundballs Wednesday and participated in batting practice earlier in the week, Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports. | The veteran's workouts are encouraging and say that he may not be sidelined much longer. The stud probably can get by with only a few weeks of spring action to mold himself into game shape. Unless something changes before draft day, Donaldson will remain a first-round candidate in mixed fantasy drafts. |
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| Feb 28 2017 | Donaldson (calf) felt good after taking batting practice Tuesday but doesn't have a specific date in mind for his return to game action, the Toronto Star's Laura Armstrong reports. | It is encouraging that Donaldson is hitting without reporting any setbacks, and it is also not surprising that he will remain out of game action in the short term. There is still plenty of camp remaining for a veteran of his ilk to get up to speed. |
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| Feb 24 2017 | Donaldson is progressing as expected in his recovery from a strained calf, Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith reports. | Donaldson will still need some time to get back to 100 percent, but he has not encountered any setbacks on his road to recovery, so his 2-to-3 week return timetable remains as-is. It has been nearly a week since Donaldson injured his calf, so as long as his health continues to improve, he should be ready to make his spring debut at some point in early-to-mid March. |
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| Feb 24 2017 | Donaldson (calf) played catch and took batting practice in a cage Friday, John Lott of The Athletic reports. | Donaldson reportedly still has a hitch in his gait, but says he "feels good." The three-time All-Star has been steadily progressing since straining his calf while running the bases last week. Expect him to return to game action in early-to-mid March, barring any unforeseen setbacks. |
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| Feb 19 2017 | Donaldson (calf) announced on Sunday that he expects to miss two or three weeks of spring training due to his recent calf strain, John Lott of The Athletic reports. | Donaldson tweaked his calf while running on Friday, but the general perception around camp was that the injury wasn't too serious. The Blue Jays will likely take a very cautious approach to the injury, and that could explain the two to three week timetable. It appears that Donaldson expects to be ready for Opening Day, but the situation is worth monitoring. |
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| Feb 18 2017 | Donaldson was sent to have an MRI after he felt something in his calf Saturday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports. | He skipped his first workout Saturday after he felt "a small tweak" in his calf while running, prompting Toronto to send him for an MRI. We won't know how serious it is until the results are back, but general manager Ross Atkins felt positive about it. Donaldson strained his calf in the Blue Jays' fourth game last year, but didn't miss any games with the injury, playing in 155 total contests and winning AL Silver Slugger for the second straight year in the process. |
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| Feb 18 2017 | Donaldson was diagnosed with a strained right calf Saturday. | He felt a small tweak in his calf earlier Saturday, and although the Blue Jays were never really worried, he was sent for a precautionary MRI. He dealt with a similar injury at the beginning of last year and didn't miss any time due to it, and it seems the same will be true this time around. He'll be treated and evaluated daily, but he's expected to be ready to start the season. |
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| Feb 18 2017 | Donaldson received his MRI results Saturday and they revealed he has a strained right calf. | He felt a small tweak in his calf earlier Saturday, and although the Blue Jays were never really worried, the MRI was precautionary. He dealt with a similar injury at the beginning of last year and didn't miss any time due to it, and it seems the same will be true him this time around. He'll be treated and evaluated daily, but he's expected to be ready to start the season. |
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| Feb 18 2017 | Donaldson "felt something" in his calf and decided to skip the first workout of spring training Saturday, Richard Griffin of The Toronto Star reports. | Hopefully it's nothing too serious for Donaldson, but expect an update in due time. The three-time All-Star won the AL Silver Slugger award for the second straight season in 2016 and should remain a top pick in drafts. |
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| Nov 12 2016 | Donaldson, for the second consecutive season, was named a Silver Slugger, an honor which goes to the best hitter at every position in each league. | Donaldson earned the award by following up his MVP campaign by smacking 37 homers, notching 99 RBI and scoring 122 runs. He slashed .284/.404/.549 over 577 at-bats while racking up a career-high 109 walks in 2016. Toronto's lineup, which has been one of the best in recent years, will look much different next season, but Donaldson will still be a top pick in almost all formats. |
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| Oct 19 2016 | Donaldson went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo homer in Tuesday's Game 4 ALCS victory over the Indians. | The Blue Jays spent the first 29 innings of this series either tied or playing from behind, but Donaldson finally put an end to that. According to Statcast, the slugger's first home run of the ALCS had a projected distance of 402 feet and left his bat at 99 mph. The home run snapped Indians' ace Corey Kluber's postseason scoreless streak at 15.1 innings. For Donaldson, it was his seventh extra-base hit of the postseason. |
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| Oct 10 2016 | Donaldson went 3-for-5 with one RBI and scored twice in Sunday's series-clinching win over the Rangers. | Donaldson's second run in Game 3 of the ALDS was the walk-off winner as he barely beat out the throw home after a botched double play in the bottom of the 10th inning. Through four postseason games, the third baseman is 9-for-18 (.500) with five doubles, three RBI and five runs. Donaldson, who's averaged a homer per 15 at-bats over the past two season, has yet to go deep in the 2016 playoffs. |
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| Sep 27 2016 | Donaldson went 2-for-2 with two walks and a two-run homer in Tuesday's victory over Baltimore. | Donaldson's first-inning smash was his 37th of the season. Unlike last year's MVP campaign, Donaldson has struggled down the stretch, hitting just .200 over 70 at-bats in September. On the bright side, the third baseman appears to making positive strides as the season comes to a close. Donaldson has notched a hit and scored a run in six of the last seven games, while also crushing three home runs during that span. |
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| Sep 23 2016 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, a walk and two runs in Friday's 9-0 victory over the Yankees. | The slugging third baseman went deep in the eighth inning off reliever Ben Heller, his second homer in the last three days. Donaldson now has hits in three straight, a sign he may be emerging from what had been a two-week-plus slump. Despite his modest stretch of success, he's enduring the worst month of the season, hitting .183 with the aforementioned pair of round-trippers and three RBI. |
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| Sep 15 2016 | Donaldson went 3-for-3 with two doubles, two walks and two runs against the Angels on Thursday. | Getting on base all five times makes for about as impressive a return as you can ask for after the reigning AL MVP was sidelined three games with a hip injury. Donaldson's markedly improved his plate discipline this year -- he now has 97 walks, exceeding his previous career high by more than 20. Perhaps predictably, that extra patience has come at the expense of RBI -- not to knock Donaldson's outstanding total of 92, but he hasn't driven home a run since the end of August and doesn't stand any chance of matching last season's 123. |
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| Sep 15 2016 | Donaldson (hip) will serve as the designated hitter and bat second Thursday against the Angels, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca | The reigning AL MVP will tough it out and return as the DH Thursday after missing three starts. Apparently, the hip has not responded well to treatment and it's uncertain when he may be cleared to return to the field, but clearly whatever Wednesday's MRI showed was nothing that will keep Donaldson off the field entirely down the stretch. He'll be looking to record his first hit since Sept. 3. |
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| Sep 14 2016 | Donaldson (hip) will have an MRI on Wednesday, Jays broadcaster Mike Wilner reports. | The hip injury will keep Donaldson out of the lineup Wednesday for the third straight game. His ailment has not responded to treatment as expected, which is why the MRI was deemed prudent. Donaldson is obviously miserable that he can't be out there while the Blue Jays fight to chase down the Red Sox in the AL East (they are two games back), so the fact that he hasn't returned yet speaks to the severity of the injury. Ryan Goins and Darwin Barney are the Jays' only other options at the hot corner while Donaldson is sidelined. |
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| Sep 14 2016 | Donaldson (hip) remains out of the lineup Wednesday against the Rays. | The Jays had initially hoped Donaldson would be able to return to action Wednesday, but he'll sit for the third straight game as he continues to nurse what manager John Gibbons described as a "jarred" right hip. Toronto will go with Ryan Goins at third base Wednesday, and he'll bat ninth in the order. |
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| Sep 13 2016 | Donaldson remains out of the lineup Tuesday against the Rays, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports. | Donaldson will sit for the second consecutive day, and manager John Gibbons indicated that the reigning MVP "jarred" his right hip during Sunday's game, leading to some minor discomfort. The Jays will again go with Darwin Barney at third base Tuesday, with the hope that Donaldson will be able to return to the lineup Wednesday afternoon. |
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| Sep 12 2016 | Donaldson is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Rays, according to Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star. | Donaldson is hitless since Sept. 3, so he will get a day off for the first time since he sat out back-to-back days in late August with a sore thumb. Darwin Barney will man the hot corner Monday in Donaldson's place. |
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| Sep 5 2016 | Donaldson went 0-for-2 with two walks in Monday's loss at Yankee Stadium. | Donaldson, who saw his 12-game hitting streak end Sunday, has reached base in 38 straight games in which he's started. He's currently on pace to be the first third baseman ever to lead the AL in runs scored in consecutive seasons. Donaldson has already notched career highs in walks (89) and triples (five) this season, and he's hanging on to a .407 OBP and .574 slugging percent, both of which would also be personal bests through six MLB seasons. |
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| Aug 29 2016 | Donaldson went 1-for-3 with a solo homer in Monday's game against the Orioles. | Donaldson extended his hitting streak to eight games with his fourth-inning blast. The third baseman's 34th home run of the year put him on pace to surpass last season's career-high total of 41 homers. The reigning AL MVP has been heating up as he makes a last ditch effort to win the award again in 2016. Over Donaldson's last five games, he has eight hits, including six home runs, five walks, 11 RBI and eight runs scored. |
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| Aug 28 2016 | Donaldson went 3-for-4 with a walk, three home runs and four RBI in Sunday's win over the Twins. | It was his first career three home run game and the 10th multi-homer game of Donaldson's career. The reigning AL MVP has been overshadowed a little by teammate Edwin Encarnacion this season but Donaldson still has a fantastic .294/.407/.578 slash line with 33 homers, 91 RBI and 105 runs scored on the year with plenty of baseball left to play. He may not repeat as MVP, but his 2016 campaign may end up being just as valuable as last year's. |
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| Aug 27 2016 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, three RBI overall and a walk in Friday's 15-8 victory over the Twins. | Donaldson has now gone deep in consecutive games and has hit the 30-homer mark in consecutive seasons. He's also hit safely in five straight and has four RBI in the last two contests. |
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| Aug 27 2016 | Donaldson went 1-for-2 with a two-RBI single, two walks and a run in Saturday's 8-7 victory over the Twins. | The power-hitting third baseman stayed hot on a day in which he reached three times and drove in a pair of key runs with a seventh-inning single. Donaldson now has a six-game hitting streak, with two homers and six RBI over that span. |
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| Aug 25 2016 | Donaldson went 1-for-5 with a solo homer in Thursday's game against the Angels. | Donaldson's fifth-inning blast was his 29th of the season, and his first since Aug. 13. Despite hitting safely in 16 of 20 games this month, the third baseman has actually seen his batting average drop a bit since the beginning of August. In addition, Donaldson's K:BB ratio is worst this month than it has been since May. On the bright side, the reigning AL MVP is riding a small four-game hitting streak in which he's amassed five RBI and scored three runs. |
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| Aug 21 2016 | Donaldson (thumb) is back in the lineup Sunday against the Indians, Sportsnet's Barry Davis reports. | Donaldson had been held out of action for back-to-back games, but he'll return to third base and bat second in the order for Sunday's series finale. It's been a slow month of August for Donaldson, as a .727 OPS is a step back by his standards, but he'll look to get back on track Sunday against Corey Kluber and the Tribe. |
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| Aug 20 2016 | Donaldson (thumb) is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Indians. | The Blue Jays will be getting Troy Tulowitzki back in the lineup Saturday, but they'll still be missing their best player as Donaldson remains out with a thumb injury. He suffered the jammed thumb in Wednesday's contest and although he's not expected to miss significant time, he will sit out for a second consecutive game. Per Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com, Donaldson is expected to return to the lineup Sunday. |
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| Aug 19 2016 | Donaldson (thumb) is out of the lineup Friday against the Indians, Sportsnet's Barry Davis reports. | X-rays were negative after Donaldson jammed his thumb Wednesday and the expectation is that the reigning AL MVP will not miss much time. Darwin Barney will fill in for Donaldson at third base with Michael Saunders batting second against right-hander Trevor Bauer. |
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| Aug 17 2016 | Donaldson left Wednesday's game with a jammed thumb, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports. | The club has Thursday off, so Donaldson should be considered day-to-day heading into Friday's contest against the Indians. Before getting hurt, Donaldson had gone 0-for-4 at the plate with two strikeouts. |
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| Aug 17 2016 | Donaldson, who left Wednesday's game early with a jammed thumb, had precautionary X-rays taken after the game that came back negative, Sportsnet reports. | Donaldson said the damage this time isn't as severe as it was in early June in Boston, when he missed on game with the same injury. The news is about as positive as it could be for his fantasy owners, as it sounds like Donaldson has a chance to play in the team's next game Friday in Cleveland. |
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| Aug 16 2016 | Donaldson went 1-for-3 with two walks, two runs and an RBI in Tuesday's 12-6 win at Yankee Stadium. | Donaldson didn't do much damage himself, but parlayed an infield single and two free passes into a very solid line thanks to strong production from the rest of the Blue Jays lineup around him. The 2015 AL MVP is still going through a rough patch by his lofty standards, with just two extra-base hits in an 8-for-38 stretch over the past 10 games. |
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| Aug 14 2016 | Donaldson went 0-for-3 with a bases-loaded walk, recording his 79th RBI of the year, in Sunday's win over the Astros. | Despite hitting safely in 11 of his last 12 starts, the third baseman has seen his average dip more than five points through the first half of the current month. History would indicate that he'll get back to his dominant ways soon. Last season, August was by far Donaldson's best month of the campaign -- he hit .324/.408/.724 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI and 29 runs -- and it propelled him to the AL MVP award. Over the past three seasons, Donaldson has hit a combined .307 in August, his highest average for any month. |
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| Aug 6 2016 | Despite being hit by a pitch on the head in Friday's game against the Blue Jays, Donaldson will start Saturday's contest, Sportsnet's Barry Davis reports. | Donaldson was fortunate to remain in Friday's game after being struck, and he did not have any after effects Saturday outside of some swelling on his cheek. He will man the hot corner Friday and again hit third in the Blue Jays' new-look batting order. |
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| Aug 4 2016 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo homers in Wednesday's win over Houston. | While Donaldson's going to have a tough time matching last year's 123 RBI, he's actually outdoing himself anyway -- he's a strong bet for a second straight 40-homer campaign and has lifted his OPS by nearly 60 points from last season, pushing the 1.000 mark. Last season was no mirage -- at 30 years old, he's one of the game's top hitters, and he's actually only getting better. |
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| Aug 2 2016 | Donaldson (hamstring) is in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Astros, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports. | Donaldson was scratched from Monday's lineup due to a hamstring issue, which reportedly had been lingering since Saturday, but manager John Gibbons implied that his scratch was precautionary and Donaldson ended up making a pinch-hit appearance during Monday's game. Donaldson will slot back in Tuesday against right-hander Lance McCullers, looking to build on his solid (but not really Donaldson-like) .259/.348/.448 second-half slash line. |
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| Aug 1 2016 | Donaldson (hamstring), who was a late scratch from Monday's lineup, is not expected to require a stint on the DL, the Toronto Sun reports. | The reigning AL MVP tweaked his hamstring when legging out an infield single in Saturday's 9-1 win over Baltimore. He was the designated hitter on Sunday, and even came in to play third base late in the game. Obviously something didn't feel right before Monday's contest, and manager John Gibbons wasn't in the mood to push the issue. "Can't risk it turning into anything long term," Gibbons said. "That would be a disaster." An injury to Donaldson this late in the fantasy season could spell disaster for his owners looking to win a championship. It might not be a bad idea to find an insurance policy just in case this thing spirals. |
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| Aug 1 2016 | Donaldson was scratched from Monday's lineup, Barry Davis of Sportsnet reports. | Donaldson will be replaced by Darwin Barney who will bat eighth and play third base. More information regarding the reason Donaldson was scratched should be released shortly. |
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| Jul 31 2016 | Donaldson who left Saturday's game in the eighth inning with a sore hamstring, started at DH and went 0-for-4 with a walk Sunday against the Orioles. | Donaldson also entered the game as the third baseman in the eighth inning, so it doesn't appear as if the hamstring issue is too worrisome. The reigning AL MVP has slowed a bit since the All-Star break, going just 15-for-57 (.263) with nine strikeouts. |
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| Jul 26 2016 | Donaldson went 2-for-6 with a home run, a double and three RBI on Tuesday in the Blue Jays' exciting 12-inning win over the Padres. | Donaldson set the tone Tuesday with a two-run shot in the top of the first inning with no outs off San Diego starter Andrew Cashner. The Blue Jays later trailed the Padres 6-4 in the 12th inning, when Donaldson helped finish the night with a RBI fielder's choice that setup teammate Devon Travis to score the winning run and complete the comeback on a walk-off wild pitch later that inning. The reigning AL MVP is set to contend for the title once again, now with a 1.002 OPS that ranks second in the AL only to veteran DH David Ortiz. |
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| Jul 20 2016 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a walk, home run, three RBI and two runs in Wednesday's matinee in Arizona. | Donaldson did not have to wait very long to make his presence felt in the series finale. Just five pitches into the game, Donaldson came through with a two-run shot that made a splash landing in the pool at Chase Field. According to Statcast, the third baseman's 24th home run of the season landed a projected 412 feet away and left his bat at 109 mph. Donaldson has at least one hit in 31 of his last 36 games, with 40 RBI over that span. |
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| Jul 12 2016 | The reigning AL MVP enters the 2016 All-Star Game with a .304 average, 23 home runs, 63 RBI, 80 runs and a 1.017 OPS through 336 first-half at-bats. | The third baseman ranks among the best in baseball in practically every offensive category, and is very much in the hunt for winning a second consecutive AL MVP award. If you thought it wasn't possible for Donaldson to get much better than he was a season ago, well, think again. He's improved his plate discipline to elite levels, walking at a career-high rate of 15.3 percent while striking out only 16.8 percent of the time, compared to 18.7 percent last year. Donaldson's 80-percent contact rate is up a tick from 2015, and his.294 ISO destroys last season's career-high mark of .271. The 30-year-old is on pace to mash 40-plus home runs, notch 100-plus RBI and score 140-plus runs in 2016. |
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| Jul 10 2016 | Donaldson got the start at DH on Sunday, going 2-for-4 with a walk and a three-run home run in a win over the Tigers. | The home run was his 23rd of the season, but more importantly the run he scored was his 80th, making him the first player to cross the plate 80 times before the All-Star break since Ian Kinsler and Hanley Ramirez did it in 2008 and just the sixth American League hitter in history with 20-plus homers and 80-plus runs before the break. The other five? Merely Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Reggie Jackson, Frank Thomas and Alex Rodriguez. Donaldson heads into the second half with a .304/.418/.598 slash line and clearly has every intention of repeating as AL MVP. |
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| Jul 5 2016 | Donaldson went 3-for-4 with two home runs , his 21st and 22nd of the year, and scored four times in Tuesday's win over the Royals. | Fresh off being named a reserve to the AL All-Star team, Donaldson blasted two in one game for the second time this season. He also pushed his average over .300 for the first time since April 18 by notching his 10th hit in the last four games (10-for-15). Donaldson has scored 77 runs, a franchise record for runs before the All-Star break. Carlos Delgado had 76 in 2003. |
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| Jul 3 2016 | Donaldson went 4-for-4 with two walks, four runs scored and an RBI in Sunday's 17-1 rout of the Indians. | The reigning AL MVP has a ton of momentum as the All-Star break approaches, racking up multi-hit performances in eight of his last 12 games to push his slash line on the season to .298/.410/.583. Donaldson may be slightly off his run-producing pace from last season, but his 993 OPS is actually 54 points higher than 2015's. |
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| Jun 30 2016 | Allen struck out one in a clean ninth Thursday against the Blue Jays to earn his 17th save of the year. | According to Statcast, Donaldson's 19th home run traveled 422 feet to straightaway center field, landing in the second deck. The third baseman put an exclamation point on a ridiculous month with Thursday's blast. Donaldson finished June with a .374 batting average that included five home runs, four triples, 23 RBI, 25 runs and an AL Player of the Week award. Overall, the reigning MVP is hitting .292/.399/.577 through 298 at-bats this season. |
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| Jun 29 2016 | Donaldson went 2-for-5, walked, scored a run and drove in three in Tuesday's win over the Rockies. | Donaldson extended his hitting streak to seven games with the effort, and Tuesday's marked the fifth of those games with two hits. He added a triple Tuesday, giving him five on the season, more than he hit in the past two years combined. After 84 extra-base hits in 158 games last year, Donaldson is on almost the exact same pace in 2016, with 40 extra-base hits through 77 games. |
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| Jun 29 2016 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a home run in Wednesday's game against the Rockies. | Donaldson's 18th homer of the season was a solo shot with two outs in the third inning off rookie Tyler Anderson. According to Statcast, his blast was projected to travel 391 feet and left his bat at 99 mph. The reigning MVP has been teeing of this month, going 34-for-91 (.374) with five home runs, 23 RBI and 25 runs over 91 at-bats. |
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| Jun 24 2016 | Donaldson (neck) is in the lineup Friday, batting second and playing third base. | The reigning MVP was dealing with some neck stiffness on Toronto's getaway day Wednesday, but he was able to play through it and he'll remain in the lineup Friday. Donaldson will draw a matchup with lefty Carlos Rodon on Friday. Although Donaldson has never faced Rodon, he has an excellent track record against southpaws as evidenced by his .545 slugging percentage against them this season. |
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| Jun 22 2016 | Donaldson was battling a stiff neck all day Wednesday, but talked his way into the lineup, Sportsnet's Barry Davis reports. | He went 1-for-3 with a double, a run and two strikeouts before getting replaced by Darwin Barney on defense in the bottom of the ninth inning. The fact that he was removed in the ninth inning is not necessarily a big deal, as Barney is an excellent defender, but it may point to the fact that his neck pain got to be too much as the game went on. The Blue Jays have an off day Thursday, so hopefully that allows Donaldson to get right in advance of this weekend's series against the White Sox. |
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| Jun 21 2016 | A three-home run week helped Donaldson beat out fellow Blue Jays Edwin Encarnacion and Michael Saunders to earn the AL Player of the Week award for the fourth time in his career. | Donaldson went 12 for 27 with three homers, four doubles, a triple and nine runs driven in to win the award for the first time in 2016. The 30-year-old led the league in total bases (27) and extra-base hits (8) for the week ending June 19th and tied for first in slugging percentage (1.000). |
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| Jun 17 2016 | Donaldson went 3-for-4 with a triple, solo homer, three RBI, a walk and three runs in Friday's 13-3 victory over the Orioles. | Although he was naturally overshadowed by teammate Michael Saunders' three-homer night, Donaldson is stroking a bat as hot as the latter's. He extended his hitting streak to 10 games with his fourth consecutive multi-hit effort, and is just one homer short of matching his total for all of May. The 30-year-old slugger now has round-trippers in three of his last four games, and is hitting .373 (19-for-51) with four doubles, three triples, four homers and 17 RBI over 47 at-bats in June. |
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| Jun 16 2016 | Donaldson went 3-for-3 with a double, two walks and three runs in Thursday's 13-2 rout of the Phillies. | This season hasn't quite been a repeat of Donaldson's MVP-worthy 2015, but he's been ramping things up in a big way of late -- over the last nine games, Donaldson's gone 16-for-34 (.471) with three homers, two steals, 13 RBI and 14 runs. He also has more walks (eight) than strikeouts (six) in that span. In fact, Donaldson has raised his walk rate to a career-high 15.1 percent this year. The 30-year-old looks like he's destined to end up in that MVP conversation again after all. |
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| Jun 8 2016 | Donaldson went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and three runs in a 7-2 victory over the Tigers on Wednesday. | This is the kind of game owners wanted from Donaldson, as he entered Wednesday hitless in his last 10 at-bats. The Blue Jays third baseman was a single away from the cycle, and he scored all three times he reached base. He is slashing .255/.367/.518 with 14 homers, 33 RBI and 46 runs in 220 at-bats. |
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| Jun 5 2016 | Donaldson (thumb) is in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox, Barry Davis of Sportsnet reports. He'll bat second and serve as the team's DH. | The Blue Jays were labeling Donaldson as day-to-day after a jammed thumb prevented him from playing Saturday, but he'll require no additional time off to let the digit heal. Since he's being used as the DH, there's still reason to believe that Donaldson's injury might inhibit him in the field for a few more days, though that shouldn't stop him from occupying a regular spot in the team's lineup. Until Donaldson is ready to resume duties at third base, Matt Dominguez, who was promoted from Triple-A Buffalo and will start Sunday, may be asked to man the position. |
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| Jun 4 2016 | Donaldson is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Red Sox. | Manager John Gibbons will give his star third baseman the day off Saturday with the Blue Jays facing knuckleballer Steven Wright. Darwin Barney will take over at the hot corner Saturday, but Donaldson should be expected to rejoin the lineup for Sunday's series finale in Boston. |
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| Jun 4 2016 | Donaldson is dealing with a jammed thumb and he is listed as day-to-day, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports. | Donaldson is out of the lineup Saturday due to some lingering thumb soreness after being jammed in Friday's game against the Red Sox. He is considered day-to-day, so there is hope that Donaldson won't miss much time beyond Saturday. Darwin Barney will slide over to start at third base for Saturday's contest. |
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| May 27 2016 | Donaldson went off Friday night, going 4-for-5 with a pair of home runs and five RBI as the Jays defeated Boston. | Last year's AL MVP is heating up and the Blue Jays' offense is collecting dividends. Donaldson put two in the seats, the second of which broke a 5-5 tie in the eighth inning, giving him 13 long ones and 29 RBI on the year. Toronto's lineup has been inconsistent over the first couple of months, but there is no question they can pile up runs in a hurry when they get hot. |
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| May 22 2016 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a solo homer Sunday at the Twins. | Donaldson launched his 11th homer of the season to give the Blue Jays a two-run lead in the first inning of the game they'd go on to win. After not homering in 16 games, he's now left the yard in two of his last three contests to raise his slugging percentage to .517. |
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| May 21 2016 | Donaldson went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer in Friday's 9-3 victory over the Twins. | The 30-year-old has endured a forgettable stretch at the plate, with Friday's long ball marking his first homer since May 1. It was only Donaldson's second multi-hit game of May, and despite the production, still leaves the veteran slugger's line at .197/.305/.324 for the month. |
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| May 18 2016 | Donaldson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Tampa Bay. | According to the Toronto Star's Brendan Kennedy, Donaldson is simply receiving a rest day Wednesday against the Rays after having played in each of the team's first 41 games. Recent acquisition Jimmy Paredes will fill in for Donaldson at the hot corner Wednesday, but Donaldson should be expected to return to the lineup in the very near future. |
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| May 15 2016 | Donaldson was ejected from Sunday's game at Texas for his involvement in a bench-clearing brawl, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. | The eighth-inning brawl was precipitated by Matt Bush plunking Jose Bautista, who proceeded to take out Rougned Odor in an attempt to break up a double play at second base. After some posturing, Odor clocked Bautista with a closed right fist, and the dance of the Blue Jays and Rangers was in full force. Although it's unclear what role Donaldson played in the ensuing action, he could be subject to a suspension once MLB examines the tape. |
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| May 11 2016 | Donaldson went 4-for-6 with a double, two runs, and a walk in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Giants. | The slugger didn't go deep, but he still provided his fantasy owners with a very solid day. He has consistently been Toronto's best hitter and is looking to follow up his 2015 MVP performance with another strong campaign this season. |
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| Apr 26 2016 | Donaldson will serve as the DH and bat second against the White Sox on Tuesday, Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star reports. | Donaldson was hit by a pitch over the weekend that has left him with a bruised thigh, so he'll be relegated to DH duties for the second straight game. Given that he's been able to stay in the lineup, it doesn't appear to be a major concern but it may keep him out of the field for the time being. |
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| Apr 24 2016 | Donaldson went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer, two runs scored and four RBI in Saturday's 9-3 victory over the A's. | The slugging third baseman lit up his old team, taking Chris Bassitt deep in the second inning with two on to stake Toronto to a 5-1 lead at the time. Donaldson has now reached base safety in eight straight games, and his slashing an outstanding .307/.388/.680 line with seven homers and 19 RBI over 75 at-bats. |
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| Apr 16 2016 | Donaldson was 2-for-4 with a triple and run scored in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Red Sox. | The reigning AL MVP got to former teammate David Price early, blasting a triple into left-center field in the first inning. Donaldson was subsequently plated by Jose Bautista's RBI double, and the Jays' third baseman added a single later in the game to make it his fourth multi-hit outing of the season. He's also posted extra-base hits in three of his last four games, and looks to have picked up exactly where he left off in his spectacular 2015 campaign. |
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| Apr 14 2016 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a double and a three-run homer Thursday in a win over the Yankees. | That's hits in 10 straight games to open the year for Donaldson, and he's homered in half those contests. Last year's insane campaign was no fluke -- he looks perfectly capable of cloning that performance. |
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| Apr 12 2016 | Donaldson will bat second and man third base Tuesday, Blue Jays radio play-by-play announcer Mike Wilner reports. | Donaldson has been relegated to serving as the team's designated hitter the last three games while dealing with a minor calf issue, but it appears to be fully behind him now. He'll return to the hot corner and be set to face Masahiro Tanaka and the Yankees on Tuesday. |
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| Apr 10 2016 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 Sunday with two runs scored and a solo shot, his fourth home run of the season. | The reigning AL MVP has picked up right where he left off last year, slashing .310/.355/.759 through the first seven games of the season. Donaldson's minor calf injury hasn't hampered him at the plate at all, and he should be ready to return to third base Tuesday against the Yankees. |
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| Apr 10 2016 | Donaldson said his calf is feeling a lot better Sunday, and he'll be ready to play in Tuesday's game against the Yankees, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet Magazine reports. | Donaldson was the designated hitter for the Blue Jays on Sunday, and plans to be back at third base on Tuesday. This suggests the injury is not a long-term concern, and he should be close to 100 percent soon. Donaldson produced two hits on four at-bats for an RBI and two runs. His other two attempts were both strikeouts. |
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| Apr 9 2016 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in Saturday's 8-4 loss to the Red Sox. | Although Red Sox starter Rick Porcello got the best of most of his teammates, Donaldson tallied his first multi-hit game of the season. He's opened up 2015 with a six-game hitting streak, and is slashing a .280/.333/.680 line over 25 at-bats, while leading the Blue Jays with eight RBI. |
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| Apr 9 2016 | Donaldson is serving as the designated hitter Saturday against the Red Sox. | While it's nothing serious, Donaldson has had some issues with his calf, and the Jays will continue to exercise caution with their star third baseman. Donaldson will be limited to hitting, while Darwin Barney takes his place at third base against Boston's Rick Porcello. |
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| Apr 8 2016 | Donaldson is in Friday's lineup as the designated hitter and will bat second, Sportsnet's Barry Davis reports. | All indications were that Donaldson would be able to play Friday, and it was just a matter of whether he would play third base or occupy the DH spot. He may not be at 100 percent, but he is healthy enough to continue to play through any lingering discomfort. |
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| Apr 8 2016 | Donaldson went 1-for-5 with a grand slam in Friday's 8-7 loss to the Red Sox. | The reigning AL MVP now has a modest five-game hitting streak to open the season, and already has gone yard on three occasions. Donaldson's seven RBI also leads the Blue Jays, and he's now homered in two straight contests, and three of the last four games. |
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| Apr 8 2016 | Donaldson did not take ground balls on the new dirt infield at the Rogers Centre on Thursday, but manager John Gibbons expects him to start on Friday against the Red Sox, the Toronto Sun reports. | If third baseman can play Friday, he'll have a nice matchup with Red Sox pitcher Joe Kelly on the hill. Donaldson is 8-for-14 against the right-hander in his career. Also, it will be the home-opener for the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre, where Donaldson did most of his damage last season, slashing .330/.398/.647 while hitting 24 home runs at home. |
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| Apr 7 2016 | Manager John Gibbons thinks that Donaldson (calf) has a good chance of returning to the lineup Friday and that Donaldson "is feeling better today," Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports. | Donaldson left Wednesday's game against the Rays in the seventh inning due to the ailment, although between the team's off day Thursday and how much the team downplayed the issue, a Friday return for the third baseman is seeming to be more realistic as game-time approaches. Of course, how he's feeling on the day of the game is most important and a start isn't set in stone until the lineup is released, but this development is definitely an encouraging sign for the Blue Jays and Donaldson's fantasy owners. |
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| Apr 7 2016 | Manager John Gibbons said Thursday that Donaldson (calf) could be back in the lineup for Toronto's home opener Friday but noted that there won't be further confirmation until closer to game time, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports. | Donaldson remains in a holding pattern for the time being after leaving Wednesday's game when he tweaked his calf during an at-bat. Fortunately, the Blue Jays seem cautiously optimistic that Donaldson's calf injury won't cause him to miss additional time beyond Wednesday's early departure. More information on Donaldson's status should be made available early Friday. |
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| Apr 6 2016 | Donaldson was removed from Wednesday's game versus the Rays in the seventh inning, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports. | Donaldson seemed to be limping a bit earlier in the game, and it appears that there may actually be an issue of some sort. If there's injury is currently unknown, but more information about the possible ailment and severity should come soon. Darwin Barney took over at third base following Donaldson's exit. |
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| Apr 6 2016 | Josh Donaldson, who is day to day after exiting with a calf strain in the seventh, accounted for all of the Blue Jays' runs with a three-run homer off Matt Moore in the third inning of Wednesday's loss against the Rays. | Donaldson brought the rain for the second time in his last three games with his homer. According to Statcast, Donaldson's second of the year was projected to travel 386 feet and left his bat at 106 mph. The reining MVP will benefit from a day off Thursday, and expects to be ready to play Friday against the Red Sox. |
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| Apr 6 2016 | Manager John Gibbons said that Donaldson has a strained calf and is day-to-day, Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star reports. | Donaldson left Wednesday's game in the seventh inning after limping through a decent chunk of the game, and it appears the calf issue was to blame for the limp. The Blue Jays don't think the ailment is a very big deal, though, which is definitely an encouraging sign that could allow him to get back in the lineup fairly soon. That being said, it would be unlikely that the Blue Jays would push him back to action too hard this early in the season. Thankfully, Toronto has the day off Thursday, so he'll have an extra day to rest prior to Friday's bout with the Red Sox. Donaldson's status should become clearer as game-time approaches Friday. |
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| Apr 4 2016 | Donaldson went 1-for-3 with his first homer of the year and a walk in Monday's road win over the Rays. | The Jays' MVP third baseman did that 41 times last year, and while that may be tough to replicate, Donaldson's a good bet to get into the 30s again. After his three-strikeout effort in the opener, any Donaldson owner whose heart was inexplicably aflutter has to feel soothed by this game. |
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| Mar 22 2016 | Donaldson went 3-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Tigers. | All three hits were singles, meaning Donaldson is still without an extra-base hit this spring. Of course, the usual caveats regarding spring training numbers apply here, and even more so with the reigning American League MVP. It looks like Donaldson is slated to primarily bat second in the order behind Kevin Pillar. |
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| Feb 8 2016 | Donaldson agreed to a two-year, $29 million contract with the Blue Jays on Monday to avoid arbitration, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports. | Donaldson will have a tough task duplicating his numbers from the 2015 season after posting 41 home runs, 123 RBI, and 122 runs in what was easily the best statistical campaign of his five-year career. Nevertheless, he'll be touted as a first-round power hitter under most formats who's played in 158 games during each of his last three seasons. |
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| Nov 19 2015 | Donaldson was named the 2015 AL MVP by the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Thursday. | Of the 30 first-place votes, Donaldson received 23 while the Angels' Mike Trout received seven. Traded to Toronto from Oakland last winter, Donaldson finished top-3 in the AL in most offensive statistical categories, including home runs (41), RBI (123), runs (122), slugging (.568) and OPS (.939). He will turn 30 in December, but there's little reason to think Donaldson won't return first-round value again next season. |
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| Oct 9 2015 | Donaldson (head) is in the lineup for Game 2 of the ALDS Friday against the Rangers, MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm reports. | Donaldson took a knee to his head on a slide into second base in Thursday's Game 1, but he passed concussion tests after the game, and will be able to take the field Friday. As he regularly does, Donaldson will man third base and hit second in the Blue Jays' batting order. |
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| Oct 8 2015 | Donaldson was removed from Thursday's game against the Rangers in the fifth inning, MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm reports. | The Blue Jays have not provided an official reason for Donaldson's removal, but he was only able to play one more half inning after taking a knee to the head sliding into second base in the bottom of the fourth frame. Expect his status to be updated as more details become available. |
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| Oct 8 2015 | Donaldson has passed concussion tests, and will be monitored, but he's expected to be okay, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports. | Unlike teammate Jose Bautista (expected to play), Donaldson's status for Friday's game remains a bit more up in the air moving forward. He's expected to be fine, but that doesn't necessarily mean he will be in the lineup Friday. His presence would provide a big boost for the Blue Jays, but the situation should be revealed prior to the game. |
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| Oct 1 2015 | Donaldson is out of the lineup Thursday, SportsNet's Shi Davidi reports. | The Jays are resting all of their regulars for Thursday's day game following Wednesday's night game. Munenori Kawasaki will get the start at third base. |
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| Sep 25 2015 | Donaldson was 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Toronto's win over Tamapa Bay on Friday night. | We are running out of complimentary words to describe Donaldson's season. He now has 40 home runs - he passed 40 doubles on Wednesday - and 121 RBI to go with a very handy .301 average. Expect to see him prominently featured in MVP discussions as the season comes to a close. |
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| Sep 23 2015 | Donaldson went 3-for-4 with his 40th double and a run scored against the Yankees on Wednesday. | It just seems like Donaldson does something to help fantasy owners every single day, so it's no surprise that he's among the leaders in the race to be named MVP of the American league. This is already his first season clearing 40 doubles, 100 RBI and 100 runs, and Donaldson's next long ball will give him his first 40-homer campaign. |
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| Sep 7 2015 | Donaldson went 3-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs Monday at Boston. | Donaldson gave the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead in the first inning in a contest the team would eventually lose. His 37th homer of the year was his first of the month after crushing 11 bombs in July. |
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| Sep 2 2015 | Donaldson went 3-for-4 with two doubles, three RBI and two runs against the Indians on Wednesday. | His campaign for MVP honors continues, as Donaldson has opened up a huge lead in RBI over every other major leaguer -- he's now got 111, and no one else has even hit 100. Sure, RBI might not be the best criteria on which to hand out hardware, but fantasy owners are certainly ready to give Donaldson their own MVP award, as he's been racking up stats nearly nonstop all year long. With a month of the season remaining, it's going to be interesting to see how high he can pile his totals. |
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| Aug 30 2015 | Donaldson went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBI Sunday against Detroit. | Donaldson launched his 36th homer in the first inning to give the Blue Jays a lead they would never relinquish. His second homer in the last three games gives him 11 for August, his best monthly total of the season. |
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| Aug 28 2015 | Donaldson was 1-for-4 with a solo home run in the Blue Jays' win over the Tigers on Friday night. | Move along, nothing new to see here. Donaldson hit one of three Toronto home runs - albeit they were all solo - as they cruised to another win. While it was a pretty pedestrian game for Donaldson, with 35 home runs and 102 RBI to go with a solid .296 average for the surging Blue Jays, he continues to build his case for an AL MVP award. |
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| Aug 21 2015 | Donaldson was at it again Saturday, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, a walk, three RBI and a run scored in a win over the Angels. | Another ho-hum game for Donaldson as he continues to add to his league-leading RBI total. With the success he's had, Donaldson may very well be the favorite to win the AL MVP award at this point. |
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| Aug 12 2015 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBI and two runs Wednesday against Oakland. | After a rare 0-for-4 day in what's been a spectacular August so far, Donaldson got right back on the horse. Through 11 games this month, he's gone 13-for-42 (.310) with six homers, a dozen RBI and a dozen runs. Oh, and he's stolen a base too, because why not? |
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| Aug 9 2015 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a solo homer on Sunday against the Yankees. | The blast was his 31st, placing him third in the AL. The slugger has been red hot with six homers this month. |
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| Aug 7 2015 | Donaldson was 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Toronto's extra-innings win over the Yankees on Friday night. | Donaldson went deep for his career-best 30th dinger of the season in the first inning. It was the only run the Jays would produce until Jose Bautista went deep in the 10th inning with the game winner. With the 30 home runs and 82 RBI to go along with a solid .295 average, Donaldson has clearly found himself right at home in the explosive Jays lineup. |
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| Aug 5 2015 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a two-run shot Wednesday against the Twins. | Donaldson hit his 29th homer of the season, tying a career high. He's homered in three straight games now and six of the past 10. He has a 23-game hitting streak against Minnesota, the longest active streak by any player against a single opponent. |
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| Aug 4 2015 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run in Monday's victory over the Twins. | After one of the toughest games of his season on Sunday where he went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts, Donaldson bounced back in a big way, clubbing his 29th double and 27th home run of the season. By garnering his 77th RBI, he moved back into first in the American League and is in the top-six in home runs, runs scored, slugging percentage and OPS. |
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| Aug 1 2015 | Donaldson went 1-for-5 Saturday with a two-run shot, his 26th home run of the season. | He's heating up again, collecting eight hits, two home runs and seven RBI over his last four games. Donaldson is dangerous in his own right, but as long as he hits in a prime spot in the best offense in the majors he should remain an elite fantasy option at third base. |
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| Jul 31 2015 | Donaldson was 3-for-5 with a run scored and four RBI in the Blue Jays' win over Kansas City on Friday night. | Donaldson remains red hot hitting in a lineup that is prolific to say the least. He did not hit a home run in this one - in fact the Jays won for just the sixth time all season in a game in which they did not hit a home run - but the three hits raised his average to .295 and the four RBI give him a league leading 73. |
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| Jul 30 2015 | Donaldson doubled, homered and walked in four plate appearances Thursday against the Royals. | The assault continues. Donaldson's actually been drawing more walks lately -- six in his last 10 games -- and with 25 homers now, he continues to be one of the game's preeminent sources of power. Things are only going to get better with Troy Tulowitzki now batting in front of him. |
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| Jul 23 2015 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with his 23rd homer in Thursday's win over the Athletics. | Donaldson enjoyed himself mightily in his return to Oakland, where he began his career, going 5-for-13 with three extra-base hits in the three-game series. That's great news for his fantasy owners, who dealt with a short drought on either side of the All-Star break, but have otherwise had precious little to complain about this year. |
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| Jul 12 2015 | Donaldson (flu-like symptoms) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game in Kansas City, Sportsnet's Barry Davis reports. | Donaldson was removed from Saturday's game feeling ill, and with the forecast calling for a scorching day in Kansas City, it's not surprising that he'll be held out of the lineup. He should have enough time to recover before the All-Star Game. |
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| Jul 11 2015 | Donaldson was removed from Saturday's game against the Royals due to flu-like symptoms, Sportsnet's Barry Davis reports. | It's possible Donaldson is just bothered by fatigue and/or dehydration, with the Blue Jays playing in hot weather after Friday's game was delayed by rain. Even if he does have an illness, he may try to return for the final game of the season's first half. |
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| Jul 7 2015 | Donaldson went 2-for-3 with a home run in Monday's loss to the White Sox. | With hits coming at a premium against Chris Sale, Donaldson continued his strong start, blasting his 20th home run of the season. He's now first in the AL in runs and has been everything the Blue Jays wanted and more after acquiring him this offseason. He received the most votes in All-Star Game history and should continue to be one of the premier players at his position down the home stretch. |
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| Jul 2 2015 | Donaldson went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and two runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Red Sox. | Donaldson continues to fill up the box score on a nightly basis, moving into the top-five in the American league in home runs (19), RBI (51), slugging percentage (.546) and runs scored (60). If he can keep up this production into the second-half of the season, he will certainly receive MVP votes as he confidently holds down the second spot in the Blue Jays' powerful lineup. |
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| Jun 22 2015 | Donaldson is out of the starting lineup Monday, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune reports. | Donaldson has played in all 71 of the Blue Jays' games this season and is due for a day off. He's hitting for an incredible .302/.363/.548 slash line with 17 home runs, 46 RBI and an AL-leading 56 runs scored. With no indication of this being anything other than a routine day off, Donaldson figures to return to action Tuesday. |
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| Jun 11 2015 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a home run in Wednesday's victory over the Marlins. | That's now four multi-hit games in a row for Donaldson. He's in the top-two in the American League in runs (50), RBI (44), home runs (17) and slugging percentage (.592). If he can keep this production up for the rest of the season, he could find himself garnering some serious MVP votes. During the Blue Jays' eight-game winning streak, he's been on fire, going 12-for-34 (.353) with seven runs scored, two home runs and five RBI. |
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| Jun 10 2015 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with two runs scored in Tuesday's victory over the Marlins. | It looks as if Donaldson has taken to the Rogers Centre quickly as his numbers at home have been off the charts. In 125 at bats in Toronto, he's got 11 home runs, 27 RBI, 31 runs scored and hitting for a .368/.388/.712 slash line. The 29-year-old third baseman is one of the best power hitters around right now and a top fantasy option at the hot corner. |
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| Jun 8 2015 | Donaldson mashed his 16th home run as part of a 2-for-5 night against the Marlins. | Donaldson picked up three more RBI in the victory and sits in second place in the American League with 43, two behind the Yankees' Mark Teixeira. Donaldson also trails Colorado's Nolan Arenado for the third base RBI lead by the same margin. Donaldson scored his 47th run Tuesday night as well, putting him into a tie for first in the majors with Minnesota's Brian Dozier. |
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| May 30 2015 | Donaldson went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer in Friday's 6-4 win over the Twins. | Donaldson is absolutely raking right now, with five home runs in his last four games and an astounding 10 runs scored over that same time span. He's currently hitting for a .316/.375/.606 slash line with 14 home runs and 38 RBI while scoring 42 runs. |
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| May 30 2015 | Donaldson went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer in a 6-4 win against the Twins on Friday. | Donaldson is on a major power binge right now, as he's homered in four straight games. With 10 runs scored and 10 RBI in that span, he's starting to look like he'll be worthy of some MVP votes if he can keep this going. Of course, he can't stay this hot, but Donaldson has been the best third baseman in fantasy this year, bar none. If you're lucky enough to own him, you're reaping the rewards. |
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| May 27 2015 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a game-tying, ninth-inning home run and two runs batted in Wednesday against the White Sox. | Donaldson absolutely abused Chicago's pitching staff in this series, going 7-for-11 with four home runs, two walks and seven RBI. He'll particularly stick in the head of closer David Robertson, whom he stuck with blown saves on consecutive days. He's been not only fantasy's top third baseman, but also one of the top few hitters in the game this year. |
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| May 26 2015 | Donaldson crushed his 10th home run of the season in Monday's 6-0 victory over the White Sox. | After not hitting a home run for his first 10 games with the Blue Jays, he's hit 10 in the last 37 games. He's now carrying a .300/.363/.533 slash line to go with 10 home runs, 29 RBI and 35 runs scored, which is tops in the American League. He is and will continue to be one of the top options at the hot corner. |
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| May 26 2015 | Donaldson was perfect Tuesday while playing hero against the White Sox, going 4-for-4 with a walk, five runs scored and two home runs, including the game winning three-run shot. | Donaldson has been everything Toronto could have hoped for when they acquired him this offseason. Not even a third of the way through the season and Donaldson has 12 home runs and 33 RBI. He's hitting a blistering .315/.379/.582. |
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| May 22 2015 | Donaldson is out of the lineup Friday. | Donaldson has been one of the best players in baseball this season, but he'll get a rare day of Friday. Danny Valencia will start at third base and hit seventh. |
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| May 13 2015 | Donaldson went 2-for-5 with, three RBI, two runs scored and a home run in Tuesday's 10-2 win over the Orioles. | The home run was Donaldson's eighth of the season and he's quickly established himself as another power hitting option in the top half of the Blue Jays lineup. With Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Russell Martin comprising the two-through-five spots in the lineup every night, the Blue Jays lineup is one of the most powerful in the whole league. The former member of the A's is now hitting for a .319/.376/.556 slash line on the season and is one of the top third basemen in the league. |
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| May 9 2015 | Donaldson went 3-for-5 Saturday with two runs scored and an RBI. | He continues to rake, and Donaldson has followed up his .319/.370/.549 April with an even better .323/.417/.548 line in 31 May at-bats. He now has 23 runs and 19 RBI on the season to go along with seven home runs, and seems headed straight for a starting spot in the All-Star Game. |
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| May 5 2015 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Monday's 3-1 win over the Yankees. | Donaldson has been moved all over the batting order and produced no matter where he's been placed. He's now sporting a .314/.387/.552 slash line and is a top option at third base, providing a strong balance of hitting for power and average. |
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| May 1 2015 | Donaldson was 2-for-3 with a pair of walks and a solo home run in a losing cause against the Indians Friday night. | Asked to hit in the lead-off spot with Jose Reyes and Devon Travis both out of the lineup, Donaldson did his job, reaching base four times, however the Jays really need his hot bat (.330 average with six home runs and 17 RBI) down in the lineup. The lead-off role is likely to be temporary. |
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| May 1 2015 | Donaldson will lead off against the Indians on Friday. | With Jose Reyes (ribs) on the DL and Devon Travis out of the lineup, the Blue Jays are without an ideal leadoff option Friday. Donaldson will be tasked with setting the table, marking the first time he has led off in his career. It makes sense to a certain extent given his .370 OBP, but it may very well be just be a one-off appearance. |
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| Apr 28 2015 | Donaldson went 3-for-5 with a homer, a walk, two RBI and three runs scored Tuesday against Boston. | It's been hard to slow Donaldson down in the early going, as he's been hitting for both power and average. After hitting .301 in 2013, Donaldson fell off to .255 last year, but he's at .349 right now and clicking in Toronto about as well as anyone could have expected. |
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| Apr 22 2015 | Donaldson went 3-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 13-6 win over the Orioles. | Donaldson has been on a tear, collecting five multi-hit games in his last seven including three three-hit games over that span to boost his average up to .345. His slash line of .345/.403/.600 with an OPS of 1.003 shows why he's one of the top third basemen in the league and a must start in nearly all formats. |
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| Apr 18 2015 | Donaldson went 3-for-4 as the DH on Saturday, and hit a walk-off solo home run on the first pitch he saw in the 10th inning. | That's three blasts in the last two games for Donaldson, who also pushed his batting average on the season up to .340 (16-for-47) with 10 RBI in 12 games. Fantasy owners who banked on Donaldson improving his performance thanks to the move from Oakland to Toronto are being amply rewarded so far. |
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| Apr 17 2015 | Donaldson was 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs, his first two of the year, while adding three RBI in a losing cause against the Braves on Friday night. | After joining the Jays potent lineup in the off-season, many saw Donaldson taking a step up this year, and that may yet be in the offing. The big bats in the middle of Toronto's lineup have been relatively quite early on, but the team may be collectively heating up (they hit five long ones in this game). |
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| Apr 15 2015 | Donaldson will bat second in the lineup Wednesday against the Rays. | Donaldson has struggled with his power in the early goings of the season, mustering just two extra base hits in eight games. The lack of production in that area could be behind the change from his traditional fifth spot in the order, as he'll fill in at number two for Dalton Pompey who has struggled mightily in that capacity. |
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| Apr 15 2015 | Donaldson went 3-for-5 with a double, three RBI and two runs Wednesday against the Rays. | Donaldson's been warming up lately, with four multi-hit contests in his last seven, but he still hasn't hit a homer yet this year. Nonetheless, expect him -- and the Toronto lineup in general -- to show plenty of power as the season rolls along. |
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| Apr 15 2015 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a run scored in the Blue Jays' 3-2 loss to the Rays. | While with a power hitter like Donaldson, fantasy owners would love more than two extra-base hits (both doubles) and three RBI on the season, it's hard to get too worried over eight games. Owners hope Donaldson can continue his success on the heels of his third multi-hit game of the season and he remains a must start in all formats due to his power potential at the hot corner. |
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| Apr 3 2015 | Donaldson had a very strong spring, hitting .327 while clubbing five home runs in 19 games. | Donaldson had been posting good power numbers in Oakland for the past two seasons, a notorious pitcher's park. His move to Toronto should cement him as one of the top hitting third basemen in the MLB while giving the Blue Jays' lineup even more power and up and down the order. Donaldson is a sure-fire pick as one of the best corner infield options and with other big bats such as Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and more surrounding him, Donaldson should be provided with ample opportunities to collect RBI and potentially cross the 100-RBI threshold for the first time in his career. |
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| Feb 13 2015 | Donaldson lost his arbitration case with the Blue Jays and will receive a one-year, $4.3 million deal, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports. | This saves Toronto more than a million dollars, but puts them off to a bad start with their new star third baseman. Donaldson figures to see an uptick from his .255 batting average thanks to the good kind of BABIP regression, and could definitely break 30 home runs given the higher home run rate at the Blue Jays' Rogers Centre compared to O.co Coliseum. |
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| Nov 28 2014 | The A's traded Donaldson to the Blue Jays on Friday in exchange for Brett Lawrie and prospects Franklin Barreto, Sean Nolin, and Kendall Graveman, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports. | Donaldson will head to Toronto after spending the last six and a half years in the A's organization. He will replace Lawrie at the hot corner and figures to bat in the middle of the Blue Jays' order. |
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| Sep 29 2014 | Donaldson said his knee felt better Monday and he'll give it a full day of rest before testing it Tuesday, MLB.com's Jane Lee reports. | He certainly won't miss the wild card game against the Royals because of the ailment, and he reported that his knee is feeling more stable than it was Sunday. |
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| Sep 27 2014 | Donaldson (knee) is in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rangers, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. | Donaldson's knee is not 100 percent, but he will take the field Saturday with the A's looking to clinch a postseason berth. He will play third and hit third Saturday as he regularly does. |
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| Sep 26 2014 | Donaldson will continue to play through knee soreness as the A's try to secure a Wild Card berth during the final days of the regular season, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports. | In the event that the A's playoff fortunes are locked in with an opportunity to rest Donaldson at any point Saturday or Sunday, he may receive a day off, but it sounds as though he'll just tough it out at less than 100 percent otherwise. |
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| Sep 10 2014 | Donaldson had an excellent day at the plate Tuesday against the White Sox, going 5-for-6 with a double, four RBI and two runs scored. | After a horrible stretch -- he was 3-for-29 in his previous seven games -- Donaldson emphatically put an end to his mini-slump Tuesday. While his batting average (.257) is nothing special, it's hard to argue with 26 home runs, 93 RBI and a .804 OPS in 540-at-bats this year. |
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| Aug 29 2014 | Donaldson had a nice night on Thursday, going 2-for-3 with his 26th home run. | After a very rough June, Donaldson has turned his season back around with an OPS over .900 since the All-Star Break. Donaldson's average is still a bit low at .255, but he does have 88 RBI on the season to go along with his 26 bombs. |
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| Aug 25 2014 | Donaldson (knee) is back in the lineup Monday in Houston, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. | Donaldson injured his knee during his final at-bat Saturday, which precipitated an MRI. While the results have yet to emerge, he must have checked out OK, as he handles the hot corner and bats third in the order. |
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| Aug 25 2014 | Donaldson had a big day at the plate Monday, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and three RBI. | Donaldson had been struggling at the dish before snapping out of it Monday, collecting just four hits in his previous nine games. For the season Oakland's third baseman is the owner of a .252 average, 25 home runs and 87 RBI. |
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| Aug 24 2014 | Donaldson is out of the lineup Sunday against the Angels, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. | After an 0-for-7 showing in the first two games of the series, Donaldson will head to the bench for the series finale. Alberto Callaspo will cover third base for him and bat seventh in the order. |
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| Aug 24 2014 | Donaldson was held out of the lineup Sunday as a precaution after he suffered a knee injury during his final at-bat Saturday, Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area reports. | Donaldson apparently lobbied to play Sunday, but the team decided it was a prudent move to send him in for a precautionary MRI. Assuming the MRI comes back clean, there's a good chance Donaldson will return to the lineup within a couple of days. |
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| Aug 20 2014 | Donaldson is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Mets. | Donaldson will get a well-deserved day of rest Wednesday following a stretch of starts dating back to July 2. Alberto Callaspo will start at third base in his place, batting sixth for the Athletics. |
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| Aug 10 2014 | Donaldson had a nice night on Saturday, going 3-for-4 with two RBI. | After a brutal slump throughout June and the first half of July, Donaldson has finally turned it around since the All-Star Break. Since the break, Donaldson has a .307 batting average with a sparking .950 OPS in 21 games. |
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| Jul 30 2014 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Astros. | Donaldson provided the As with their only run of the game, as they were routed 8-1 in the afternoon tilt. The second-inning shot was Donaldson's third four-bagger since the All-Star break, bringing his season total up to 23. He's cooled off a bit lately to the tune of a .241 July batting average, but at least it's 60 points higher than his June mark of .181. |
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| Jul 24 2014 | Donaldson went 2-for-3 with a walk, a steal and two runs Thursday against Houston. | He was lifted for a pinch-runner late, but that's likely because the A's were winning the game running away. Donaldson had been struggling but he's heated up since the All-Star break, as he's gone 8-for-22 (.363) with a homer and a steal. Perhaps the time off helped him heal up his ailing back. |
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| Jul 20 2014 | Donaldson was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI in Sunday's win over the Orioles. | Much has been made of Donaldson's struggles in June and the first half of July, but Donaldson is now 4-for-12 with a homer, a double and five RBI in his first three games since the All-Star Break. The best sign on Sunday was Donaldson's two hits were both to the right side. He had been rolling over on a ton of balls to the left side through his slump and his hits to the opposite field on Sunday could be a very good sign for his second half. |
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| Jul 18 2014 | Donaldson was 1-for-4 with a three-run walk-off homer in Friday's win over the Orioles. | Donaldson has struggled since the start of June, but started the second half of the season with a bang. Donaldson has impressive power numbers with 21 home runs and 68 RBI, but due to his long slump, he is only hitting .238 on the season. |
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| Jul 10 2014 | Donaldson was 0-for-4 on Wednesday to drop his average on the season to .237. | Donaldson's July is looking a lot like his June so far. After a brutal June where he hit .181, Donaldson is now just 3-for-27 with one homer in July. Donaldson looked like a possible MVP candidate after two months, but he has been just flat bad since June 1st and his average finally dipped below .240 for the first time since very early April. This slump has become long-term and has to now be a concern for the A's and his fantasy owners. |
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| Jul 10 2014 | Donaldson went 2-for-3 with a walk and a two-run homer -- his 20th of the season -- Thursday against the Giants. | Donaldson's been mired in a month-plus-long slump and hadn't had a multi-hit game since June 28, so this is a big bounce-back game for him. He's been bothered by back issues that have slowed his production, but maybe this is a sign that Donaldson's feeling better. |
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| Jul 4 2014 | Donaldson (back) is in the lineup Friday against the Blue Jays. | Donaldson had been held out the previous two days due to a bout of back stiffness, but he's apparently fit to slot back in at the hot corner. More concerning than Donaldson's health at this point is his deep slump since the beginning of June. He hit just .181 in June, dragging down his season line to a less impressive, but still respectable .245/.325/.459. |
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| Jul 3 2014 | Donaldson is out of Thursday's lineup due to back stiffness, CSN Bay Area's Joe Stiglich reports. | This may be cause for some concern, as Donaldson -- one of the best hitters in the league through the season's first two months -- has slumped badly since early June. He's gone just 13-for-88 (.148) with one homer in his last 22 games, and it's worth wondering whether this back issue has had something to do with it. |
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| Jul 3 2014 | Donaldson is out of the lineup again Thursday vs. the Blue Jays. | Donaldson's absence from Wednesday's lineup was thought to be just a one-day decision for maintenance purposes, but a second consecutive absence makes it worth wondering if the Athletics may be concealing some sort of injury. A wretched month of June (.181/.223/.286 line over 105 at-bats) hasn't helped Donaldson's case to remain a fixture in the lineup, but his top-notch numbers over the last season and a half should still lock him into regular duties at third base. Check back for an update on his status after the game, just to see if there might be an injury at play. |
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| Jul 2 2014 | Donaldson is not in the Athletics' lineup Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. | Donaldson appears to be getting a day of rest for Wednesday's afternoon contest. Alberto Callaspo will get the start at third and bat second for the Athletics. |
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| Jun 20 2014 | Donaldson went 1-for-3 with a run scored and three RBI as he hit his 18th homer of the year against the Red Sox on Friday. | It looks like Donaldson is starting to slowly come out of his slump with a six-game hitting streak. The three-run bomb was a huge sign that more to come from Donaldson is in the cards. Donaldson is currently hitting .255/.338/.490. |
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| Jun 18 2014 | Donaldson was 2-for-4 on Wednesday with one RBI. | This was Donaldson's first multi-hit game since June 4th as he tries to climb out of his brutal slump that saw him go hitless in 33 at-bats earlier this month. Donaldson now has a hit in four straight games and looks to finally be swinging the bat better. |
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| Jun 17 2014 | Donaldson is out of the Athletics' lineup Tuesday against the Rangers. | Donaldson, who ended a 0-for-33 stretch at the plate Sunday with an RBI single, continued to find gaps Monday during a 1-for-5 performance. Owners will hope that a day off further gets his bat back in order, but Alberto Callaspo will cover the hot corner Tuesday, while Eric Sogard enters at second base. |
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| Jun 15 2014 | Donaldson snapped his 33 at-bat hitless streak with an RBI single on Sunday afternoon. | Donaldson's hit was a very weak single to the right side on a defensive swing. He continues to look lost at the plate and has expressed some frustration as seen by his ejection on Saturday night. Donaldson had an incredible first two months of the season that started up for MVP discussion, but has been brutal in June on both sides of the ball. |
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| Jun 14 2014 | Donaldson was 0-for-4 on Friday night to push his hitless streak to 27 at-bats. | This brutal stretch has dropped Donaldson's average on the season from .284 to .254 in a mere nine days. Donaldson still has 17 homers and 50 RBI so far on the season, but is clearly struggling in a big way right now. |
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| Jun 11 2014 | Donaldson is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Angels, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. | Donaldson, who's currently in the midst of a miserable 1-for-26 slump, will sit for just the second time this season as Alberto Callaspo slots in at third base and Yoenis Cespedes moves up to the three-hole in the batting order. In his last six games, Donaldson has struck out 11 times and has seen his average drop by an even 20 points, but his OPS for the season is still up at .861 and there's no doubt he'll remain a fixture in the heart of the A's lineup. |
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| Jun 10 2014 | Donaldson had a brutal Monday night, going 0-for-4 at the plate and committing three throwing errors at third base. | Donaldson had never had more than one error in a game before Monday's debacle in the field. Donaldson has also been in a slump at the plate with only four hits in 30 at-bats on the A's current road trip. He does have two homers on the trip, but has seen his average drop 20 points down to .266. |
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| May 30 2014 | Donaldson went 3-for-4 as he hit two homers on the night against the Angels on Friday, while scoring three runs and driving in four RBI. | With now 15 homers on the year, Donaldson has exceeded early season expectations while slashing .285/.379/.561 on the year. Donaldson has impressively reached base in 45 consecutive games for the Athletics, which is almost unheard of in this day and age of impatient hitters. Donaldson won't continue at his current power pace, but a 35-homer season is not out of the question. |
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| May 28 2014 | Donaldson was 2-for-4 on Wednesday night with a three-run walk-off homer off Joe Nathan. | Donaldson now has 13 homers on the year to go along with 41 RBI, numbers that put him top seven in the American League in both categories. Donaldson has stepped up the power from his 2013 breakout season and is making 2013 look like a stepping stone rather than a fluke. |
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| May 26 2014 | Donaldson went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and one run scored Monday against the Tigers. | Donaldson has hit a homer in both of his last two games and is putting together a great season overall as he has 12 home runs and 38 RBI. |
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| May 22 2014 | Donaldson went 2-for-3 with another two walks and a run in Thursday's loss to the Rays. | He's been a walk machine of late, with a 7:4 BB:K over his last four games. While Donaldson remains short of last year's .301 batting average, he's been piling up the homers, RBI and runs all year long, and there's no reason to think he won't continue. |
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| May 18 2014 | Donaldson finished off a great series against the Indians with four runs scored on Sunday. | Doanldson drew three walks (one intentional) on Sunday and reaped the benefit of big days for Brandon Moss and Yoenis Cespedes behind him. Donaldson had a huge week, hitting .470 with three homers while driving in 10 runs and scoring nine runs. |
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| May 17 2014 | Donaldson stroked three RBI for the second night in a row, going 3-for-4 with two runs against the Indians. | Donaldson now has a modest four game RBI-streak going, cashing in nine in the process. In addition to his 34 RBI on the year (that trail teammate Brandon Moss by two), he also has 34 runs, which ties him for second in all of baseball. Quite simply, Donaldson has been money through the first two months of the season. |
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| May 16 2014 | Donaldson was 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Oakland's win over the Indians on Friday night. | The win pushed the A's record to 10 games over .500 and Donaldson has provided a little power surge to help that along. He's now hitting .266 with 10 home runs and 31 RBI in support of the consistently strong pitching the A's have enjoyed. |
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| May 14 2014 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a home run -- his ninth of the season -- in the A's loss to the White Sox on Wednesday. | The multi-hit effort pushed Donaldson's line to .267/.344/.491 for the season, which has been a regression from last season fueled by a .289 BABIP. Last season, Donaldson hit .333 on balls in play, which was supported by a 20.6% line drive rate (career 19.7%), but he appears to be squaring up pitches less often so far, as he entered Wednesday's game with a 13.5% line drive rate with the difference being made up in an increase in flyballs. |
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| May 13 2014 | Donaldson is out of the Athletics' lineup Tuesday versus the White Sox. | Donaldson will hand over third base to Alberto Callaspo, while John Jaso handles DH duties. Consider the absence merely a day off, especially after Donaldson blasted his first homer since Apr. 24 on Monday. |
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| May 4 2014 | Donaldson went 1-for-2 with three walks, a stolen base and two runs scored in Sunday's win over the Red Sox. | Donaldson's output Sunday was of more value in leagues using on-base percentage, but he certainly didn't tarnish his standing as one of the best third baseman in traditional 5x5 formats, as well. With a .277 average, seven homers and 23 RBI on the seaosn, Donaldson has proven that his 2013 breakout wasn't the fluky performance some had expected. |
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| Apr 25 2014 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two walks in Friday's 12-5 win versus the Astros. | Donaldson is absolutely locked in at the plate over the past week. During his current seven-game hitting streak, the 28-year-old third baseman is batting .393 with four homers, 10 RBI and seven runs scored. Donaldson is without a doubt one of the top options at the position in all mixed leagues. |
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| Apr 24 2014 | Donaldson had a monster game in Thursday's win at Houston, going 3-for-4 with a double, pair of homers and four RBI. He has hit six home runs this season. | Donaldson really struggled the first week of the year, but has turned things on lately, with a six-game hitting streak. During that span, he's gone deep three times with eight RBI. |
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| Apr 20 2014 | Donaldson had a huge Sunday, compiling three extra base hits, including his fourth homer. | Donaldson hit a ball off the wall late in the game with two men on base or his day could have been even bigger. After a terrible first week of the season, Donaldson has dropped right back into his 2013 breakout form and now has his average all the way up to .272 to go with his 13 RBI. |
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| Apr 15 2014 | Donaldson picked up three hits Tuesday -- including a game-winning RBI double in the top of the 11th -- as the A's downed the Angels, 10-9. | The third basemen continued his assault on American League pitchers, picking up his 13th, 14th, and 15th hits in the last nine games. Each of Donaldson's nine RBI on the season have come during his current nine-game hitting streak, and he is a big reason why the A's have jumped out to an early lead in the AL West. |
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| Apr 15 2014 | Donaldson had three hits in Tuesday night's win over the Angels to raise his average to .266. | Donaldson now sports a 9-game hitting streak and he continues to dig out of the hole he dug for himself with a brutal first week of the season. He looks to be completely back in the groove and should remain productive hitting in the middle of the A's lineup. |
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| Apr 13 2014 | Donaldson hit his second home run of the year in Saturday's win over the Mariners. | After a rough first week of the season, Donaldson has turned it around and looks a lot more like the guy who broke out in 2013. |
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| Apr 10 2014 | Donaldson was 2-for-5 with three RBI and hit his first home run of the year on Thursday. | Donaldson is turning it around after a very slow first week of the season. He had multiple-hit games in all three games of the series with the Twins and drove in four runs. |
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| Apr 5 2014 | Donaldson was 0-for-4 on Saturday to drop his average to .091. | After grabbing two hits in the first game of the season, Donaldson is now hitless in his last 18 at-bats. If anyone in your league is starting to get worried based on this small sample, this would be a nice chance to make a deal for the third baseman. |
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| Apr 3 2014 | Donaldson has a miserable Wednesday, going 0-for-9 in the A's doubleheader against the Indians. | Donaldson will look to get his offense back on track as the A's being a four-game set against the Mariners on Thursday. |
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| Apr 1 2014 | Donaldson had two hits in Monday's game against the Indians. | What the box score will not tell you is that Donaldson's second hit was a monster fly ball to dead center that hit the very top of the wall. What very well could have been a three-run homer turned into a single with no RBI as Daric Barton mistakenly tagged up and did not score as a result. Donaldson looked very good at the plate on Opening Night as he looks to repeat his 2013 breakout season. |
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| Mar 25 2014 | Donaldson had two hits in Tuesday's exhibition game against the Reds. | Donaldson appears to be totally over his calf injury from earlier this spring. He has hit in the two hole a lot this spring and may do so often when the games that count begin. |
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| Mar 18 2014 | Donaldson (calf) will return to the lineup Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. | The A's have been hit hard by injury in recent days, but they've expressed little-to-no concern regarding Donaldson's ailment. He'll sit out again Tuesday, but if he avoids a setback upon his return, the 28-year-old should be just fine for the start of the season. |
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| Mar 17 2014 | Donaldson (calf) is expected to return to the lineup Tuesday or Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. | Donaldson will get the day off Monday after exiting Sunday's spring game with a sore calf, but as indicated he is not dealing with a serious setback. Don't expect the injury to prevent Donaldson from being in the lineup come Opening Day. |
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| Mar 16 2014 | Donaldson left Sunday's game with right calf tightness, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. | The A's are saying it's nothing serious, but when injuries happen this late in spring training, a player's Opening Day availability should not be taken for granted. That said, if this is indeed minor, Donaldson should still be able to open the year on time. |
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| Mar 16 2014 | Donaldson was pulled from Sunday's exhibition game in the fourth inning with right calf tightness, reports Joe Stiglich of CSN California. | Donaldson was seen talking to coaches on the bench for a while before he was taken out. The A's indicated that they do not believe it to be serious. |
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| Mar 16 2014 | Donaldson was pulled from Sunday's exhibition game in the fourth inning, reports Joe Stiglich of CSN California. | Donaldson was seen talking to coaches on the bench for a while before he was taken out. There is no indication about what might be up with Donaldson as of yet. |
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| Mar 11 2014 | Donaldson hit a two-run homer in Monday's exhibition game against the Dodgers. | After a bit of a slow start to the spring, Donaldson has now homered in back-to-back games. Donaldson will be the A's every day starter at third base this year looking to repeat his 2013 breakout season. |
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| Feb 27 2014 | Donaldson will likely bat out of the No. 2 hole for Oakland this season, the San Jose Mercury News reports. | Donaldson hit all over the order last season, before batting second in 23 of his final 30 starts. The A's won't get married to any one or two lineups, but Donaldson should be a constant presence in the heart of the order, batting no lower than fifth. |
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| Sep 29 2013 | Donaldson walked in his only plate appearance on Sunday. | Donaldson wraps up a breakout 2013 with a .301 average, 24 home runs and 93 RBI. On top of that, he played great defense all year at a position he only learned in 2012. Donaldson was certainly the A's MVP in 2013 as well as a fantasy MVP for teams who drafted him very late. His Average Draft Position will certainly be on the rise in 2014. |
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| Sep 27 2013 | Donaldson is back in the lineup for Friday's game against the Mariners, MLB.com reports. | Donaldson sat out Wednesday's game against the Angels but will return to his usual third base spot Friday. He'll bat third against Seattle starter Felix Hernandez. |
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| Sep 25 2013 | Donaldson is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Angels. | This is just a day off for Donaldson since the A's have clinched the AL West. Donaldson has had an exceptional 2013 campaign, hitting .305 with 24 homers and 92 RBI. He has been the A's best and most consistent hitter all season. |
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| Sep 21 2013 | Donaldson went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI, two runs scored and a walk against the Twins on Friday. | It's been quite the impressive season for the 27-year old third baseman as he is now batting .306 with 24 home runs, 91 RBI and 85 runs scored here in his first full season in the majors. As if his totals weren't strong enough, Donaldson is finishing the season in style, batting .397 here in September with five home runs and 14 RBI. |
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| Sep 18 2013 | Donaldson was 3-for-5 on Tuesday night, including a bases-loaded walk-off single in the 2-1 win over the Angels. | The three hits brought Donaldson's average up to .304 to go along with his 89 RBI. He has been the A's best hitter all year long and has even been mentioned by some baseball writers as a top five MVP candidate. He has been an exceptional value all year long for owners who drafted or picked him up. |
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| Sep 13 2013 | Donaldson was 2-for-3 with three RBI and his 22nd bomb of the year. | Donaldson just keeps hitting in his breakout 2013 season. Donaldson raised his average to .301 on the year and has now driven in 87 runs. |
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| Sep 11 2013 | Donaldson was 2-for-3 with two runs scored on Wednesday night. He was hit by a pitch in the hand early in the game, but he did not require x-rays, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. | Donaldson got both his hits after the hit by pitch, which is a good sign. He did leave the game early, but that appeared to be cautionary due to the lopsided score. The two hits raised Donaldson's average on the year to .299. |
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| Sep 10 2013 | Donaldson (quadriceps) is back in the lineup Tuesday against the Twins, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. | Donaldson has been an ironman this season, but he missed a start Sunday with the quad ailment. Fortunately, the injury appears to have indeed been a minor issue, as Donaldson is penciled into the lineup Tuesday to take on right-hander Liam Hendriks. He'll look to build upon his .357/.400/.750 slash line for the month of September. |
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| Sep 8 2013 | Donaldson is out of the lineup Sunday against the Astros. | Though he's been hitting well lately, Donaldson will get a day off for the first time since June 14. He's 10-for-22 over the last five games, with two home runs and five RBI. |
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| Sep 8 2013 | Donaldson (quad) is out of Sunday's lineup but believes that he will be able to return Tuesday in Minnesota, the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser reports. | Donaldson's quad was bothering him Saturday, but he said that the injury improved with treatment. He figures to be day-to-day, and the A's won't necessarily take a cautious approach with a slim 1.5-game lead in the AL West |
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| Sep 8 2013 | Donaldson's absence from Sunday's lineup may be due to a quad issue, CSN's Joe Stiglich reports. | Donaldson, who is out of the lineup Sunday, is apparently dealing with a quad injury. It's unclear if he will miss time beyond Sunday, as he went 2-for-4 in Saturday's game. |
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| Sep 7 2013 | Donaldson went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, two RBI and three runs scored against the Astros on Friday. | Donaldson now has three multi-hit games over his last four and is now batting .444 (8-for-18) with two home runs, five RBI and four runs scored over that span and it looks as if his momentum from a .283-3-16 August is being carried over to here in September. He's should prove to be a solid play for the duration of the season. |
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| Aug 20 2013 | Donaldson went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in Tuesday's loss to the Mariners. | Donaldson picked up his 70th and 71st RBI of the season and hit his 18th home run. He's slashing .391/.418/.809 with 10 RBI in 60 August at-bats after hitting .233 with 8 RBI in the month of July. |
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| Aug 20 2013 | Donaldson went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI on Tuesday night against the Mariners. | After a slump just after the All-Star break, Donaldson has once again found his groove. He now has seven multi-hit games in his last 13 games. |
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| Aug 6 2013 | Donaldson was 0-for-3 in Tuesday's loss to the Reds. | Donaldson was one of the better stories in baseball in the first half, but has absolutely hit the skids since the All-Star Break. He is now hitting .186 since the break with a nearly impossible zero RBI in his last 59 at-bats. |
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| Jul 29 2013 | Donaldson was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Sunday's win over the Angels. | After an incredible first half of the 2103 season, Donaldson has finally hit his first long-term slump of the year. Donaldson is just 5-for-34 since the All-Star break with 14 strikeouts. He has also yet to drive in a run since the All-Star Break. |
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| Jul 29 2013 | Donaldson will move down into the six-hole in the batting order Monday against the Blue Jays. | Widely proclaimed an All-Star snub just weeks ago, Donaldson has plummeted back to earth since the intermission (0-for-his-last-16, .147 average since the All-Star break), and will now move down in the batting order. He'll have to swing his way back up. |
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| Jul 14 2013 | Donaldson hit a game-tying home run and a walk-off single Sunday against the Red Sox. | Donaldson carried the A's offense Sunday, breaking up a shutout with a two-run home run in seventh, and driving in the winning run in the 11th inning. He was left off the All-Star roster, but it does not take away from his excellent first half of the season. He has a .310/.379/.522 batting line with 16 home runs and 61 RBI at the All-Star break. |
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| Jul 6 2013 | Donaldson hit his 15th homer in Saturday's loss to the Royals. | Donaldson just keeps raking and now has five bombs in his last ten games. He raised his average to .317 through Saturday's game to go along with his OPS over .900. |
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| Jul 2 2013 | Donaldson hit his 14th home run in Friday night's win over the Cubs. | Yawn, just another great night in a breakout season for Donaldson. He is making his case for the All Star Game, even with the stacked third base pool in the AL. Donaldson is now hitting .318 with 55 RBI. |
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| Jun 30 2013 | Donaldson was 2-for-3 with a home run Sunday. | Donaldson's phenomenal season keeps marching on. He's now hitting .316 with 13 homers and 53 RBI. To add to the fun, Donaldson even tossed in two fantastic plays on defense Sunday. There are not many players who have provided more value for where they were drafted than Mr. Donaldson and his Mohawk. |
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| Jun 26 2013 | Donaldson was 2-for-4 with a long two-run home run in Tuesday's win over the Reds. | Donaldson's fabulous 2013 continues and he is now hitting .308 with 11 bombs and 48 RBI. He has been the best and most consistent hitter for the A's all season. |
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| Jun 26 2013 | Donaldson hit a three-run homer against the Reds on Wednesday and now has 12 home runs and 51 RBI on the year. | Donaldson had a great two-game series against the Reds with bombs in each game. The A's will be off on Thursday, but make sure to have Donaldson back in your lineup on Friday when the A's face the Cardinals. |
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| Jun 15 2013 | Donaldson (hamstring) is in the Athletics' lineup Saturday versus the Mariners. | Donaldson sat out Friday due to some pain in his right hamstring but will take over his typical spot at the hot corner. Despite a 0-for-10 stretch heading into Saturday's game, his slash line is still an impressive .310/.377/.500 in a whopping 252 at-bats. |
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| Jun 14 2013 | Donaldson said he's no longer feeling any pain in his hamstring and hopes to play Saturday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. | Manager Bob Melvin understandably kept Donaldson out of lineup as a precaution after he left Thursday's marathon game against the Yankees with a cramp. He was probably due for a day off anyway having started at third base for all 67 of the Athletics' games this season. |
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| Jun 14 2013 | Donaldson is out of the lineup on Friday night. | Donaldson left Thursday's game with cramping in his right hamstring and is currently day-to-day. |
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| Jun 13 2013 | Donaldson left Thursday's game in the 16th inning. | The A's telecast showed Donaldson wincing on his last swing, a pop-up, and he also limped to first base while running out the pop-up. There has been no official report from the A's as of yet. |
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| Jun 13 2013 | Donaldson left Thursday's game with hamstring cramping, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. | Manager Bob Melvin indicated that he hopes Donaldson will be available on Friday and it was nothing more than cramping. Consider Donaldson day-to-day until any further reports come out. |
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| Jun 7 2013 | Donaldson hit a grand slam on Friday night to account for all the A's runs in a 4-3 win. | Donaldson's exceptional season just keeps getting better. He is hitting .329 to go with his nine home runs and 41 RBI. |
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| Jun 5 2013 | Donaldson had three more hits on Wednesday to raise his batting average on the season to .332. | Donaldson also drove in two runs and continues to be one of the more pleasant surprises in baseball so far this season. |
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| May 27 2013 | Donaldson cracked his eighth home run of the season Monday afternoon, his second homer in three games. | Donaldson is having a spectacular season, posting a .324 average to go along with his eight home runs and 33 RBI. In the midst of a career-year, Donaldson has shown no signs of slowing down, collecting eight hits in his last four games. |
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| May 25 2013 | Donaldson went 4-for-4 with a double and his seventh home run of the season in Oakland's win over Houston on Saturday. | The four hits raised his batting average from a pre-game .307 to a post-game .322, and he also exited the game with a very healthy .395 OBP. It is noteworthy that in a season that has hitherto featured a record number of strikeouts, Donaldson is experiencing his breakout with a strikeout-per-plate appearance rate well below the league average (15.6 percent versus 19 percent). |
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| May 18 2013 | Donaldson went 2-for-3 and hit a solo home run against the Royals on Friday. | Donaldson has caught fire again this season and is now in the midst of a six-game hit streak in which he is batting .478 (11-for-23) with two solo home runs and five runs scored. His power production may have slowed down lately, but he is still batting .323 on the season. |
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| May 15 2013 | Donaldson picked up one hit in three at bats Wednesday, extending his hit streak to five games. | Donaldson is having a fantastic season thus far, hitting .316 with five home runs and 25 RBI midway through May. After an impressive 20 RBIs in April, Donaldson's run producing has slowed down in May, but he has remained extremely productive this month. |
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| May 11 2013 | Donaldson rolled his ankle in Saturday's game but was able to stay in and finish the game. After the game, he told reporters that he often rolls the ankle but that it's not a concern, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. | Donaldson hit his fifth home run of the season to jump start the Athletics' offense in the second inning. At 27 years old, Donaldson has got off to a great start, hitting .301 with 25 RBI, 19 runs, and two steals. His career numbers in the minors detail that Donaldson has always struggled some when he moves up a level but then adjusts to new challenges and excels in time. If such trends hold true throughout this season and going forward, the .862 OPS Donaldson owned coming into Saturday could portend great things for a player who may prove to be currently undervalued. |
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| May 9 2013 | Donaldson had two hits on Thursday, including his fourth home run. | Donaldson is still hitting above .300 and hitting in the middle of the A's order. He continues to be a solid play for anyone needing a third baseman who may still be flying under the radar. |
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| May 5 2013 | Donaldson hit a go-ahead home run in the 8th inning to propel the A's to a 5-4 win at Yankee Stadium. | Donaldson continues to be very valuable and while it was only his third home run, he now has 22 RBI to go with his .302 average. He continues to be a nice third base option right now in any fantasy league. |
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| Apr 27 2013 | Donaldson went 4-for-4 with two RBI in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Orioles. | The four-hit performance marked Donaldson's fourth multi-hit game of the week, and he's now tied for the team lead with 16 RBI. His walks are up too, with 10 already this season compared to just 14 in 294 plate appearances a year ago. |
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| Apr 25 2013 | Donaldson provided virtually all of the offense for the A's on Thursday night against the Orioles, going 2-for-2 with two RBI. | Donaldson has been locked in recently, collecting three multi-hit games and driving in six runs in his last four starts. He's raised his batting average more than 50 points since being given a day off last Sunday. |
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| Apr 22 2013 | Donaldson went 2-for-3 with two RBI, two runs scored, two doubles and one walk Monday against the Red Sox. | Donaldson has recorded two hits in two of his last three games and has seven multi-hit games on the season. He hit only .241 in 75 games last season, so he could really increase his fantasy value if he can stay around his current batting average of .264 this season. |
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| Apr 21 2013 | Donaldson is not in the starting lineup Sunday against the Rays. | Donaldson will receive an off day for the first time this season, ceding a start to Andy Parrino at third base. Although his .246 batting average leaves a little to be desired, his two home runs and eight RBI have made him one of the better early season fantasy options at the position. |
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| Apr 13 2013 | Donaldson hit an opposite field walk off home run on Friday night to lead the A's to a 4-3 victory over the Tigers. | Donaldson started the season slowly, but now had multi-hit games in his last four games. He has also played an excellent defensive third base, which locks in his playing time. He has some power upside and is playable in deeper formats. |
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| Mar 25 2013 | Donaldson had four hits on Monday including a home run. | There was some panic in the fantasy world after Donaldson started the spring 1-20, but he now has his Cactus League average up to .298. He was never at risk to lose his job at 3B, especially over a few spring at bats. Donaldson is a nice late sleeper in deeper leagues coming off a solid second half. |
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| Mar 15 2013 | Manager Bob Melvin is happy with Josh Donaldson at third base, reports Jane Lee of MLB.com. | Despite a rough spring (he did have a two-homer game that was rained out, so the stats did not count), it appears that Donaldson is still the starting third baseman for the A's. He could be a nice late-draft pick in deeper leagues coming off his strong second half in 2012. |
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| Mar 6 2013 | Donaldson is off to a terrible start this spring with one hit in 20 at-bats. | Donaldson still has the inside track as the starting third baseman for Oakland, but needs to get it going a little bit this spring to lock down the role. Jed Lowrie can play third base if needed, but the A's still see him in a utility role. Donaldson's defense was very solid in the second half last year, which helps his claim on the position. Donaldson did have a line drive caught on Monday that he smoked right at the third baseman, so hopefully a few more of those will drop in. |
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| Sep 29 2012 | Donaldson hit a critical two-run home run in the ninth inning Saturday against the Mariners to tie the game at 4-4. | The A's would go on to win the game in extra innings on Brandon Moss' walk-off home run, lowering the team's magic number to three. Donaldson, who holds eligibility at catcher in some leagues, has closed the A's revolving door at third base since taking over everyday in mid-August, but his generally subpar batting at the position may lead the team to look elsewhere next season. |
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| Sep 27 2012 | Donaldson was 2-for-4 with two runs scored in a 9-3 victory over the Rangers on Wednesday. | After a horrible start to the season Donaldson is putting it all together at the right time for the A's. He has now raised his overall average to .243 and is producing at third base which they needed after they lost Brandon Inge for the year. It will be interesting to see how the A's handle the hot corner next year with Donaldson, Inge and Scott Sizemore coming back from injury. |
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| Sep 24 2012 | Donaldson hit his eighth home run of the season Monday against the Rangers. | Donaldson finished the game 1-for-4 with two RBI. Donaldson has played every day for the A's this month, hitting .273 with seven RBI and three home runs. |
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| Sep 21 2012 | Donaldson was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI in a 12-4 victory over the Tigers on Thursday. | Since his return to the big leagues Donaldson is hitting .317 with six homers and 19 RBI. In his 98 at bats prior he was only hitting .153. He seems to have worked out any problems with his swing and could be a productive player for your fantasy team for the stretch run. |
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| Sep 10 2012 | Donaldson was 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 4-2 victory over the Mariners on Sunday. | Donaldson has now been back with the team for a little less than a month and has hit 6 homers and drove in 17 RBI. He has been a top producer for the A's over this stretch run and is showing why the A's gave him so many opportunities to win the third base job in the beginning of this season. |
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| Sep 2 2012 | Donaldson (hip) is back in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox, according to the A's official Twitter page. | Donaldson missed Saturday's game with the sore hip, but apparently the setback was not serious. He will start at third base and bat sixth Sunday afternoon. |
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| Sep 1 2012 | Donaldson is not in the lineup Saturday versus Boston, the Athletics' official Twitter page reports. | Brandon Inge will man the hot corner in his absence. Donaldson has started 17 consecutive contests since he was recalled on August 14, batting .344/.408/.625 with four homers and 14 RBI in 64 at-bats. Expect him back in the lineup for Sunday's series finale. |
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| Sep 1 2012 | Donaldson (hip) believes he will miss only Saturday's game, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. | Donaldson thinks that his strained hip flexor is just a result of dehydration. Even if he does only need a day off, he may not be a fixture at third base very often with Brandon Inge returning from the disabled list Saturday. |
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| Sep 1 2012 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI before leaving the game in the seventh inning with a strained hip flexor on Friday against the Red Sox. | Donaldson has hit home runs in three straight games with four runs scored and seven RBI, so hopefully the hip injury won't hold him out for too long while he's this hot. He said he felt fine after the game, but he will be re-evaluated over the weekend. |
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| Aug 29 2012 | Donaldson bounced back Wednesday with two hits, including his third homer -- a three-run shot -- in a win over the Indians. | He'd gone just 1-for-12 in his last three games, but returned to the hot hitting that has defined his month of August. Donaldson's gone 20-for-57 (.351) in August with two homers, two steals and 10 RBI. |
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| Aug 28 2012 | Donaldson went 0-for-4 in a 3-0 victory over the Indians on Monday. | Donaldson is now hitless in his last two games and with Brandon Inge gettting very close to coming back he might soon find the bench. He was great during Inge's time on the DL, but the recent slowdown could be the excuse Manager Bob Melvin needed to get Inge back in the lineup. |
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| Aug 25 2012 | Donaldson was 2-for-4 with one run scored and one RBI in a 5-4 victory over the Rays on Friday. | Donaldson had numerous opportunities to grab the third base job early in the season and he repeatedly failed. Now with Inge on the DL he is going to make the decision difficult for manager Bob Melvin. He is hitting .415 with seven RBI in this go around and Inge is coming back from the DL in the next couple of days. With the A's in the playoff hunt it is hard to imagine going away from the hot hand. |
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| Aug 16 2012 | Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run during Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Royals. | Donaldson hasn't done much with the bat this season, but he's now 3-for-6 with a walk and a homer in two games since rejoining the A's. He has a 1.000 OPS in 234 plate appearances with Triple-A Sacramento this season, but we'll have to see more before believing that he can carry that success over to the big league level. |
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| Aug 15 2012 | Donaldson was 1-for-2 in a 5-0 lose to the Royals on Tuesday. | Donaldson's return to the big leagues started with a single in his first at bat and a walk in at bat number two. It was a nice start for Donaldson who was crushing the ball in the minors. |
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| Aug 14 2012 | Donaldson was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento, Chris Townsend reports. | With Brandon Inge going down with a shoulder injury, Donaldson has been called up to add some infield depth. In 51 games with Triple-A Sacramento, Donaldson is hitting .335 with 13 homers and 45 RBI. |
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| May 19 2012 | Donaldson went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and five RBI against the Giants on Friday. | Since being called back up from the minors, Donaldson had been stuck in a 1-for-17 slump. But with Brandon Inge hurt, manager Bob Melvin opted to stick with the youngster at third and hoped for the best. He did not disappoint. Expect Donaldson to get the majority of the work at third until Inge returns. |
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| May 15 2012 | Donaldson could see time at first base against left-handed pitching upon the return of Brandon Inge, the team's web site reports. | Donaldson collected a double and a sacrifice fly in four at-bats Monday, and figures to get in a few more games at third base until Inge returns. |
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| May 13 2012 | Donaldson was 0-for-3 Sunday in a 3-1 loss to the Tigers. | Donaldson got his first start since being sent down to the minors nearly a month ago. The results were not that different since he was held without a hit and dropped his average to .086. Donaldson was starting for Brandon Inge, who sat with some groin soreness, according to Susan Slusser's Twitter feed. Inge has started 11 games in a row for the A's and it is expected he will be starting at third when he returns. |
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| May 12 2012 | The A's recalled Donaldson on Saturday, Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group reports. | Donaldson has killed it at Triple-A Sacramento since the A's demoted him in April to the tune of five home runs and a .509 OBP in 47 at-bats. He could see time at first, third, catcher and DH until Yoenis Cespedes (hand) returns from the disabled list. |
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| Apr 29 2012 | Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI during Sunday's win over Tucson. | Since being demoted, Donaldson has gone 3-for-11 with a walk and home runs in both of his last two games. After batting .094 with 13 strikeouts over nine games, he could use some confidence-building down in the minors, so expect him to stay down there for a little while unless the A's get decimated with injuries. |
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| Apr 23 2012 | Donaldson has been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. | The move was made to clear a spot on the 25-man roster for Luke Hughes, who is immediately joining the lineup and starting at third base Monday night. Donaldson went 3-for-32 (.094) with 13 strikeouts in nine games to begin the season. |
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| Apr 16 2012 | Donaldson, who was not in the lineup Sunday, is 3-for-25 with nine strikeouts this season while starting seven of the A's first 10 games at third base. | With Eric Sogard having a big game Sunday, Donaldson may receive an extra day off in the near future. His poor plate discipline and lack of a track record as a hitter in the big leagues could lead him to spend more time on the bench in the near future if the A's are able to find a suitable replacement. |
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