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Donaldson lands on DL with calf injury

John E. Sokolowski / USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays' miserable start to the 2017 campaign continued Friday, as third baseman Josh Donaldson has been placed on the 10-day disabled list, Sportsnet's Arash Madani reports.

The news comes one night after Donaldson aggravated a stubborn calf injury in his club's 2-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

There is no timetable for his return. Donaldson will be forced to rest and rehabilitate the injury for the next 10 days, but he said it could be worse, according to Madani.

"I am walking gingerly, and there is some soreness, but not as much swelling as there was (at spring training)," Donaldson said.

Donaldson left Thursday night's game following a double that drove in the Blue Jays' only run. With the Blue Jays sitting at a woeful 1-8, they've already landed in the American League East cellar, 5.5 games out of first place with the worst record in baseball. No other team has won only one game.

A possible silver lining is manager John Gibbons isn't concerned, and says the injury isn't much worse than it was before, Sportsnet's Mike Wilner reports. That said, he wasn't going to be available for at least the next few days, so placing him on the disabled list was the logical decision.

And Donaldson had been the team's best hitter, slashing .310/.429/.586 in nine games with two home runs. While the two long balls may not appear to be lofty, the entire rest of the team has managed only two more.

The team recalled Chris Coghlan to take his place on the roster, who could see time at third base. The utility bat hit .217 in seven Triple-A games after being signed to a minor-league contract on April 1. His versatility is his best asset, as he has spent some time at every position other than shortstop, catcher, and pitcher over his eight-year career.

The Blue Jays continue a four-game series against the visiting Orioles Friday night without Donaldson in the lineup as the team aims to finally win its second game of the season.

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