The Minnesota Twins left third baseman Josh Donaldson off their roster for the American League wild-card series against the Houston Astros as he deals with a calf injury.
Marwin Gonzalez is expected to start in his place at third base.
The 34-year-old Donaldson last played Friday night in a 7-2 loss to the Reds but was lifted after one at-bat. He missed the close of the regular season because of calf issues, and a right calf strain kept him on the injured list from Aug. 4 to Sept. 2.
The Twins added him to their taxi squad, however, meaning he could join the Twins in this round to replace an injured player.
Donaldson, who won the AL Most Valuable Player award in 2015 with the Blue Jays, has considerable postseason experience over his 10-year career. He has a .260 average with five home runs, 16 RBIs and 15 walks in 39 playoff games with Toronto, the Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves.
The Twins signed Donaldson to a four-year, $92 million deal in the offseason. Battling injuries, the three-time All-Star hit just .222 in with six homers and 11 RBIs in 28 games.
The Twins host the Houston Astros in the best-of-three series. Game 1 is set for Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET.
