Donaldson doesn't believe calf injury is serious

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson exited Monday's matinee against the Boston Red Sox with left calf tightness, departing in the top of the fifth inning at Fenway Park after gingerly advancing from first base to third on a double from Justin Smoak.

After drawing a one-out walk off David Price, Donaldson didn't run hard on Smoak's liner into the left-field corner, jogging around second and eliciting an immediate visit from a trainer upon pulling into third. Almost immediately, he walked off the field and proceeded into the clubhouse. He was replaced by pinch runner Giovanny Urshela.

"I don't think I injured it seriously at all," Donaldson said after the game, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. "It’s a little sore right now, a little tight, we’re going to do some treatment and stuff on it and see, play it by ear, see how it responds tomorrow and go from there."

In 2017, Donaldson missed significant time with a right calf strain, losing a couple weeks during spring training and then landing on the disabled list for more than a month after aggravating the injury during a game in mid-April.

Donaldson, who missed more than three weeks earlier this season due to shoulder inflammation, has struggled mightily in 2018, hitting .228/.321/.419 (100 OPS+) with five home runs, 44 strikeouts, and just 0.6 WAR through 35 games. He recorded a single and drew a pair of walks Monday before exiting.