Donaldson returns to old stomping grounds

TORONTO -- Braves third baseman Josh Donaldson returned to Toronto on Tuesday in the same form that Blue Jays fans remember him in while winning the 2015 American League Most Valuable Player Award and leading them to back-to-back playoff appearances.

Donaldson came up with the bases loaded and the Braves down 1 in the seventh inning on Tuesday. After dodging a high-and-tight fastball and working the count full, Donaldson popped up Derek Law's sixth pitch of the at-bat to shortstop to end the threat. Atlanta went on to lose, 3-1.

The 33-year-old is healthy and performing, which wasn’t always the case in 2018, his fourth and final year with the Blue Jays before being dealt to Cleveland on Aug. 31. In Atlanta, though, Donaldson has stayed on the field and is getting better as the summer stretches on.

With 32 home runs and a .910 OPS entering the two-game series in Toronto, Donaldson is riding a hot streak that has buoyed the lineup around him, too.

“He’s been a huge part of what we’ve done here so far,” said manager Brian Snitker prior to the game. “Look at his numbers, the way he’s played third, the presence in the lineup and what he’s done, probably, for Freddie [Freeman]. Freddie’s having, coincidentally, one of his best years ever. It’s a pretty solid guy to hit behind, too.”

The move to the cleanup spot has suited Donaldson well, which Snitker credits not just to Donaldson’s talent, but the mentality that he thinks is necessary to play that role. After posting a 1.051 OPS with 10 home runs in July, Donaldson landed in Toronto with a 1.017 OPS so far in August, so he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

“I feel great,” Donaldson said. “I’ve been very pleased with how well my body’s responded throughout the course of the season. At the beginning of the year, it was a bit of a rough patch for me. Not really getting a lot of at-bats, as I normally would throughout a regular season. I think I kind of felt a little bit rusty coming into the year. But now that I’ve been able to log consecutive days, a lot of at-bats, I feel really good at the plate.”

Just prior to first pitch, the Blue Jays played a video tribute for Donaldson, ending in “Thank you, Bringer of Rain.” Donaldson watched the video alone in shallow right field before waving his cap to a long standing ovation. He received a second ovation prior to his first at-bat and once again tipped his helmet.

The stadium and the feeling of a playoff push are familiar for Donaldson, but now he’s powering one of the most exciting young lineups in baseball for the Braves. And when Donaldson gets hot, as his manager knows, there aren’t many in baseball who can do what he does.

“That’s a guy that can carry you,” Snitker said. “The kind of hot that he gets is that hot that has the capability of carrying a team. He wants to be that guy, I think, is what makes him so good.”

Injury updates

• Austin Riley had two hits for Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday after going 1-for-3 in each of his prior two games as he works his way back from a partial LCL tear in his right knee.

“He tagged up from first on a long fly ball. He’s sliding and doing everything baseball related -- [including] running the bases -- that you need to see, and he feels really good,” Snitker said. “All of that’s good, he just needs at-bats and timing now.”

• Darren O'Day is scheduled to pitch for Class A Advanced Florida on Tuesday. He’s dealt with right forearm tightness, which has kept him on the IL all season, but he’s expected to be moved to Gwinnett if all goes well in this outing.

• Brian McCann (left knee sprain) is “progressing and feeling better,” according to Snitker, but the manager added that the Braves will know more when they return home following their two games in Toronto.