Josh Donaldson Misses Workout, MRI Indicates Right Calf Strain

© John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

There was some absolutely terrifying news out of Blue Jays camp today, as multiple sources reported that Josh Donaldson wasn’t at the team’s first full workout because he “felt something” in his calf. Donaldson will get an MRI on his calf today, a Blue Jays spokesperson said. Uh oh! 

That was my reaction to Donaldson injury news being the first thing I saw in the morning. 

As the excellent Keegan Matheson reported via twitter, this is the same calf that bugged Donaldson when the team played two exhibition games in Montreal last April, and then again later on in the season. There’s a very good chance that this is something very minor, and him getting an MRI is simply precautionary. Even if there is something there, it’s only Feb. 18, meaning Donaldson has well over a month to get healthy and ready to go for the season. 

But it’s the beginning of spring, so emotions and excitement are at a high, and after four months of being sedentary, we don’t remember how to deal with baseball-related adversity. There will be injuries during spring, and throughout the season, it’s just the reality of the sport. It’s good that Donaldson and the Jays are on top of this one, though, because the 2015 Most Valuable Player having a good, healthy season is key in the team making its third-straight playoff appearance for the first time since the glory days of the early 1990s. 

It looks like everything is going to be fine. But boy oh boy, we’re only a few days into pretend spring training, a week away from real spring training, and there’s already a sense of panic about the health of the team. Hopefully we an enjoy a nice, low-drama spring without any injury stress.