TORONTO – The uncertainty surrounding Josh Donaldson’s throws gave way to cautious optimism Saturday, when the third baseman tested his arm again and manager John Gibbons declared him close to returning to the field.
“I felt good,” Donaldson said. “I felt really good.”
Added Gibbons: “He’ll be out there in the next couple of days.”
As recently as Friday, the Blue Jays were bracing themselves for the possibility that Donaldson could require far more time at designated hitter. The throws Donaldson made in the season opener were off-line and his throwing mechanics were awkward, as he appeared to short arm the ball instead of freely unleashing it. But tests on the right shoulder that bothered him at times this spring revealed no structural damage, so team decision makers stressed patience.
“I think it really is a day-to-day issue,” GM Ross Atkins said Friday. “It could be a week. It could be significantly more. It could be less.”
Just one day later, Donaldson says he has made real progress.
“The feeling of throwing right now feels very good,” he said. “It’s just more so about me being out there and doing it and doing it at close to where it needs to be.”
When Donaldson struggled to throw effectively Thursday, Gibbons described the issue as ‘dead arm,’ while Donaldson said ‘it’s just about getting the strength back.’ After a pair of pre-game throwing sessions Friday and Saturday, Donaldson expects to be able to continue with his usual motion instead of making a mechanical change.
“I’m trying to do it as normal as possible,” he said. “(Thursday) I wasn’t. The other day I was making an adjustment for what I had that day. But today I was throwing, yesterday I was throwing and I’m getting it as normal as possible.”
Now, Donaldson described himself as ‘very close’ to normal. He expects to throw to bases again Sunday with a return possible soon afterwards if Gibbons determines he’s ready.
“His eyes will let him know when I’m ready to be out there,” Donaldson said.
And once he does return it’ll immediately be apparent whether the progress he’s making behind the scenes can translate at game speed.
TWO OF THREE FOR TRAVIS
Devon Travis continues responding well to his first big-league action since June, but the Blue Jays still gave him a day off Saturday, part of their plan to play him for two days then rest him for one.
“We’ll see where that takes us,” Gibbons said. “If we get later in the season and we’re still in the thing, we could adjust off of that, but that’s the plan right now.”
If Travis plays two out of every three games all season, he’d end up around 110 games. Considering that he played in just 50 games in 2017, the Blue Jays would take it.
“It’s not ideal,” Gibbons said, “but it’s the best way to do it.”
PEARCE AT LEADOFF
With Travis resting Saturday, the Blue Jays turned to their second leadoff hitter of the season opposite left-hander CC Sabathia: Steve Pearce. The 34-year-old Pearce has a history of mashing lefties, with a career wRC+ of 126—or 26 per cent better than average.
“That’s what he does,” Gibbons said. “That’s his specialty, hitting lefties. He can get on base for the right guys. It’s nothing scientific.”
When Travis rests against a right-handed starting pitcher, the Blue Jays will likely use the left-handed hitting Curtis Granderson atop the order, Gibbons said.
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