Donaldson, out since May, set for rehab assignment for Jays
Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson is expected to begin a rehabilitation assignment at High-a Dunedin in the next couple of days.
Donaldson, 32, a three-time All-star, has been out since late May with a left calf strain. He began ramping up the intensity of his workouts last week with the goal of being game-ready by September.
Assuming he makes significant progress over the next few days, Donaldson could be placed on revocable trade waivers by Friday and finish the season on a playoff-bound roster before entering free agency in the fall.
Prior to the injury, Donaldson was batting .234 with five home runs over 159 plate appearances. He averaged 37 home runs per season from 2015 to 2017 and has a career .275 batting average.
In other Blue Jays news, Toronto made transactions involving five right-handed relievers: Danny Barnes was recalled from Triple-a Buffalo, Murphy Smith’s contract was purchased from Buffalo, Jake Petricka and Justin Shafer were optioned to Buffalo, and Luis Santos was designated for assignment.
MLBPA: The Major
League Baseball Players Association hired longtime sports law attorney and litigator Bruce Meyer as senior director of collective bargaining. He will focus on negotiation and enforcement of the collective bargaining agreement. Meyer has advised players’ unions in basketball, football and hockey, most recently working the past two years under former MLBPA executive director Don Fehr with the NHL Players’ Association.
Orioles: Left-hander
Josh Rogers, acquired from the Yankees in the Zach
Britton trade on July 24, will be promoted from Triple-a Norfolk to make his major league debut Tuesday. Rogers, 24, has a 3.54 ERA and 101 strikeouts over 139 2/3 innings at the Triple-a level this season.
Nationals: Kelvin Herrera (torn Lisfranc ligament in left foot) was placed on the 10-day disabled list and is expected to miss the rest of the season, and fellow right-handed reliever Ryan Madson (lumbar nerve irritation) was activated from the DL.
Mets: Outfielder Brandon Nimmo (left index finger contusion), out for the past 10 days, reached base four times in two rehabilitation games with High-a St. Lucie over the weekend and is expected to be activated from the disabled list Tuesday.
Yankees: Manager Aaron Boone said he is optimistic shortstop Didi Gregorius (left heel contusion) and catcher Gary Sanchez (right groin strain) will be ready to be activated from the disabled list on Sept. 3.
Padres: Second baseman Luis Urias, 21, ranked San Diego’s No. 4 prospect by MLB. com, will be promoted Tuesday from Triple-a El Paso, where he has batted .296 with eight home runs this season.
Phillies: Philadelphia claimed Jose Bautista on revocable trade waivers from the New York Mets and is discussing a trade for the outfielder/corner infielder, The Athletic reported.
Mariners: Left-hander Marco Gonzales (cervical neck strain) was placed on the 10-day disabled list, and outfielder Guillermo Heredia was recalled from Triple-a Tacoma.
Athletics: Daniel Mengden was recalled from Nashville, and fellow right-hander Chris Bassitt was optioned to the Triple-a club.