Top Blue Jays trade candidate Donaldson out at least another week
The 2018 season hasn't been the contract year Josh Donaldson had in mind. Now it's getting just a little bit worse.
Donaldson, the Toronto Blue Jays third baseman who's been on the shelf since May 28 with a nagging calf injury, isn't expected to return to the lineup until at least June 29 when the Jays came back from a road trip to host the Detroit Tigers.
Manager John Gibbons wouldn't rule Donaldson out for the team's upcoming series in Houston, but the prognosis isn't good.
"I wouldn't think so, but I don't know for sure," Gibbons said, according to MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm. "I hope by the time we get home."
Donaldson has played in only 36 of the Blue Jays' 75 games, and he hasn't been effective even when on the field. He's hitting .234/.333/.423 with five home runs and 44 strikeouts in 159 plate appearances.
Entering the season, Donaldson was seen as the Blue Jays' most appealing trade candidate if the team fell out of the playoff race. His name popped up in trade rumors during the offseason, with the St. Louis Cardinals linked to the former MVP.
If Donaldson doesn't get moved he will enter free agency after the World Series.