Donaldson raring to go
DUNEDIN, Fla. — Josh Donaldson had just blasted a ball over the left-field fence at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium and had words of warning for pupils at the elementary school beyond the stadium. “Heads up kids,” Donaldson hollered. The 2015 American League MVP may not be healthy enough to crack Blue Jays manager John Gibbons spring training lineup just yet, but he’s getting closer.
Showing no ill effects of the injury to his right calf sustained at the start of camp, the all-star third baseman called Wednesday his “best day yet” and is getting itchy for action.
“I feel like I could play tomorrow if I needed to,” Donaldson said after his first lengthy on-field batting practice session. “But that being said (the Jays training staff) want to be sure this isn’t a recurring thing and that I’m not having to deal with it throughout the season. I feel like we are getting a pretty good grasp on it right now.”
Donaldson said he “made some nice progression” on Wednesday, putting more pressure on his injured calf both in the weight room and in a hopping drill. The next big step will be to add running into his daily regimen.
“For the last four or five days I’ve been 100 per cent swinging,” Donaldson said. “Today was even a better day because I was able to do some jumping and landing and supporting with my calf.
“We’re doing some stuff right now like hopping to make sure that when I do run it’s stabilized. I’m just taking all the proper steps and precautions. I feel really good right now.”
Given that he played through nagging injuries last season, Donaldson understands the need for caution and not being rushed back into play. That doesn’t make him any less anxious to join his teammates.
“I want to be out there with the boys but, at the same time, I’ve got to be smart and look at the bigger picture,” Donaldson said. “I feel like they’ve been doing a pretty good job of trying to keep me down as long as possible before I tell them no more, I’ve got to be out there.
“It’s tough. anybody who knows me knows I love to play this game and I love to be out there with the guys and just do what we do. When I’m not able to do that, it’s tough. I’m getting there right now. I feel like it’s time to take the reins off.”
While Donaldson says there is no date set for his return to action, it’s unlikely he would be in a Grapefruit League lineup before next week.
In the meantime, he’s going to continue to build on what he feels has been a strong off-season of weight training, hoping that will pay off come April.
“I think I took two days off (after the injury) before I was throwing again,” Donaldson said. “My arm, I was feeling in pretty good shape this year and I don’t want to lose that. I’ve been putting a lot of work in this off season. I’ve been in the weight room doing everything I could minus using my calf.
“Today was my second full body workout where I could use my calf and everything and it’s back to where it was before I injured it as far as being able to do the proper weight.”