MLB Player News

Donaldson (calf) is in the Blue Jays' lineup for Friday's game against the Phillies.

Donaldson has been out of the lineup since Sunday while dealing with a calf strain. Barring any setbacks, he'll be back in time to be fully prepared for the upcoming season.

Donaldson indicated Thursday his calf is fine and plans to play Friday's spring game against the Phillies, John Lott of The Athletic Toronto reports.

Donaldson exited Saturday's game with calf cramps due to dehydration, but underwent acupuncture earlier this week and feels ready to go. The 32-year-old has 11 spring training at-bats thus far as he has also battled a shoulder injury, but appears otherwise healthy with Opening Day less than two weeks away.

Manager Scott Servais said Segura (hamstring) was lifted from Wednesday's spring game as a precaution, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

The manager noted he didn't believe the issue was anything serious, adding that there is just a "heightened awareness" given all of the strains and injuries the team is currently dealing with. More will obviously be known in the comings days as Segura undergoes further testing, but early indications are that the stud shortstop avoided a long-term injury.

Segura exited Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Giants with right hamstring tightness, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Injuries continue to rip their way through the Mariners' camp, as Segura joins a long list of teammates dealing with an ailment of some sort. The severity of Segura's injury remains unclear at this point, but more will hopefully be known following the conclusion of Wednesday's contest. He should be considered day-to-day for now. The shortstop was 1-for-1 with a walk before exiting.

Davis went 2-for-3 in Tuesday's game against the Mets and improved his spring batting average to team-high .394.

Both of Davis' hits came off New York's Noah Syndergaard, who was dealing high-90s fastballs. From a numbers standpoint, Davis has the edge over Tyler White and A.J. Reed for the early-season playing time made available because hand surgery has sidelined first baseman Yulieski Gurriel. For whichever player makes the Opening Day roster, the playing time is not going to be a lot. Gurriel is due back sometime in April and it's very likely that while he's sidelined, most of the first base starts will go to Marwin Gonzalez.

Donaldson has been battling calf cramps due to dehydration, John Lott of The Athletic Toronto reports.

Donaldson's injury wasn't thought to be serious -- it's reassuring for that to be confirmed. The team won't rush him back, but there's no reason to think that the 32-year-old won't be ready to go when Opening Day arrives.

Donaldson (illness) is dealing with a calf injury, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Donaldson had been fighting an illness, and it appears that a calf injury is also giving him some troubles. Manager John Gibbons was fairly vague when addressing Donaldson's injury, although he indicated that Donaldson would likely be ready to return by the end of the week. However, the Blue Jays will likely be cautious with their star third baseman in an effort to have him healthy for Opening Day.

Manager Ron Gardenhire suggested that Candelario could bat seventh regularly this season, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Gardenhire normally admits very little about his regular-season lineup during the spring, but he finally caved and admitted that the lineup he utilized Sunday against the Braves "could be" the regular lineup. In that game, Candelario batted seventh behind James McCann but ahead of Mikie Mahtook and Dixon Machado. Gardenhire said that he'll likely get some tips from the analytics department before settling on a lineup, but he did suggest that Leonys Martin and Miguel Cabrera would be the leadoff and three hole hitters, respectively. Candelario impressed during a short stint in Detroit last season, batting .330 with two homers and 13 RBI in 27 games. His spring showing has been just as impressive, as he's produced a .938 OPS in 13 Grapefruit League contests. Candelario could push his way into a better run-producing spot in the order or even into the two hole (Gardenhire suggested he likes having a switch-hitter in the second spot) as the season rolls along, but it seems like Gardenhire and the Tigers are looking at other options before they give Candelario a shot.

Robinson is likely to serve as the primary left fielder for the Rangers following the demotion of presumptive favorite Willie Calhoun, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Calhoun could be back up in early May after the Rangers gain an extra year of service time, but for at least a month or so, the left field job is open. Robinson, a left-handed hitter, looks to be the favorite to open on the strong side of a platoon with the right-handed-hitting Ryan Rua. Robinson doesn't have any standout skills, having hit .224/.314/.439 in 48 games his first taste of big-league action last year, but at-bats are gold in AL-only leagues.

Donaldson (illness) isn't listed in the lineup for Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Braves, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Donaldson hasn't played since Saturday after experiencing dehydration and is apparently still in need of additional rest. After being eased into spring training while recovering from a minor shoulder issue, Donaldson has logged just 11 at-bats during Grapefruit League play. If he's able to shake off the illness in the coming days and return to the lineup, Donaldson should suit up at least semi-regularly for the rest of the spring and get in enough at-bats for the Blue Jays to feel comfortable deploying him on an everyday basis when the season begins.