The Cleveland Indians announced that they've activated third baseman Josh Donaldson, from the disabled list, and he'll finally debut with his new team in Tuesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
It'll be Donaldson's first MLB game since May 28, when he was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. Donaldson missed three months with a calf injury but took part in a series of rehab games, paving the way for his trade to Cleveland.
Toronto only had until Aug. 31 to trade Donaldson, otherwise he wouldn't be eligible to be on the playoff roster for his new team. The Jays wound up dealing him to Cleveland for a player to be named later, though reports suggest it's minor league pitcher Julian Merryweather.
There was controversy over how the Donaldson trade went down, which left multiple league executives unhappy, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. In short, Toronto needed to prove Donaldson was healthy before trading him to Cleveland.
BLUE JAYS GM ROSS ATKINS DISCUSSES CONTROVERSIAL JOSH DONALDSON TRADE
Following the trade, the Indians placed Donaldson on the disabled list. Per Rosenthal, one executive claimed that Cleveland "skirted a rule requiring a player who suffers a recurrence of an injury on a rehabilitation assignment to remain inactive for five days before starting another one." Rosenthal noted that Cleveland did not break a rule, though.
The confusing saga is finally over with, and the main story now is that 'The Bringer of Rain' joins a team that's looking to win its first World Series in 68 years. The Indians are virtually locked in as the third seed in the AL, and they stand to face the winner of the AL West - either the Houston Astros or Oakland Athletics.
Donaldson's four-year tenure in Toronto was remarkable, and he will be remembered as one of the franchise greats. It's too bad that it had to end on a sour note, but that's all in the past. His goal now is to reset his free agent value and lead Cleveland to a world championship.