Donaldson hobbled again by pre-season calf injury
The words Josh Donaldson and calf injury mixed together are enough to make the Toronto Blue Jays cringe.
But for the second consecutive spring training, that appears to be the case.
Following the Jays’ 13-6 win over the Atlanta Braves Tuesday in Kissimmee, Fla., manager John Gibbons said Donaldson will be held out of action for “a few days.”
It’s unclear when Donaldson aggravated the calf, but he did leave a game early over the weekend after just one inning of work.
The potential good news, however, is that while many of his teammates were in the Orlando area to face the Braves, Donaldson was working out at Dunedin Stadium. And the Bringer of Rain appeared to be in great spirits as he crushed ball after ball out of the park during a batting practice session.
The worry, of course, is that it’s a recurrence of the injury that dogged Donaldson last year in spring training, eventually leading to a trip to the DL.
While his teammates freshen their arms and sharpen their stuff in live competition, Jays reliever Seung-hwan Oh has to go through a markedly different and less gratifying routine.
In between waiting for word that his work visa has been approved — the ticket needed to spring open the legal doors for him to pitch in a game — Oh has been preparing in bullpen sessions and throwing live batting practice.
It’s tedious and a regimen far from ideal, but with approval stalled, it has been Oh’s only option.
“It’s nothing I can control at this point,” Oh said through translator Eugene Koo. “If I get frustrated, it’s only going to hurt me. Right now I’m feeling good and healthy and talking with (pitching coach Pete Walker) about how he’s going to take care of business when the time comes.
“I’m where I want to be. I’m just waiting for that visa.”
Both Walker and Gibbons have significant hopes for Oh, specifically as a right-handed setup man for closer Roberto Osuna.
There is a strong belief that Oh, who was signed to a one-year deal on Feb. 26, can return to the prowess he showed with the Cardinals as a 19-save closer in 2016.