DUNEDIN, FLA. - In his two full seasons managing the thoroughbred that is Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons has known better than to try hard to keep his baseball stud in the barn.
On Monday at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium, the reins were finally released on the team’s star third basemen, as welcome here as the first day of spring was up north.
With opening day of the 2017 season just two weeks away and the strained calf in his right leg nearing full strength, Donaldson made his Grapefruit League debut at designated hitter.
By the scoreline, anyway, it was a modest debut for the 2015 American League MVP, but that hardly mattered.