Donaldson is expected to make his Grapefruit League debut Friday against the Phillies, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Donaldson was originally hoping to make his spring debut Wednesday, but rain forced the veteran third baseman to push his schedule back by a day. He's now slated to play in a simulated game Wednesday, and if everything goes well, Donaldson will make his first appearance of spring Friday (the Braves have a scheduled off day Thursday).

Donaldson is targeting Wednesday for his first game action of the spring, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

He's going to take part in simulated game activities Tuesday, and if all goes well, Donaldson is set to be in Wednesday's lineup against the Tigers. The 33-year-old played only 52 games for the Jays last year, producing a disappointing .801 OPS, so expect the Braves to keep a close eye on his workload for the rest of the spring.

General manager Alex Anthopoulos said Donaldson is scheduled to partake in a simulated game Tuesday, Kevin McAlpin of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.

EDGE Analysis

Anthopoulos added that Donaldson is "ready to go" and "should get into a game right after" Tuesday's simulated game, assuming everything goes off without a hitch. The Braves are slow playing the veteran third baseman this spring after injuries derailed his 2018 campaign, though he should have no problem getting enough at-bats in before the start of the season, assuming he's able to make his Grapefruit League debut in the near future.

Donaldson is not listed in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.

EDGE Analysis

Donaldson was originally set to make his Grapefruit League debut Friday but had it pushed back to Sunday, only to see the debut pushed back yet again. According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, the team is apparently likely to wait until Wednesday to start Donaldson, seemingly out of caution as there's been no indication of any injury issues.

Donaldson is no longer scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut Friday against the Tigers, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Donaldson reportedly feels great, but the Braves want him to work more on form running -- which is designed to improve his mechanics in an effort to reduce the stress on his calves -- before appearing in any spring games. The veteran is now hoping to make his Grapefruit League debut Sunday against the Marlins.

The Braves are anticipating Donaldson hitting second in the order during the 2019 season, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Per O'Brien, Ronald Acuna will sit atop the order or man the cleanup spot while Freddie Freeman hits third. Ozzie Albies and Ender Inciarte are also under consideration to bat leadoff. Prior to Donaldson's injury-plagued 2018 campaign, he slashed .270/.385/.559 with 33 home runs and 78 RBI the year before for Toronto. The Braves are obviously betting on him to return to that form considering his one-year, $23 million deal and the plan to stick him second in the order. Donaldson is in line to be the club's everyday third baseman while Johan Camargo takes on a utility role to begin the year.

Donaldson signed a one-year, $23 million contract with the Braves on Monday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Donaldson will immediately slot in as the team's everyday third baseman, likely pushing Johan Camargo to a utility role. Injuries limited the 32-year-old to just 52 games in 2018, prompting him to sign a one-year deal in an attempt to re-establish his value. When healthy, Donaldson has proven to be one of the premier options at the hot corner over the past five seasons, slashing .275/.373/.524 with 148 homers and 421 RBI over that stretch (636 games).

Donaldson went 3-for-4 Thursday against the Royals.

EDGE Analysis

All of Donaldson's hits were singles and the Indians had a quiet game offensively, leaving him with no counting stats to show for his effort. However, he has reached base in seven of his last nine at-bats across the last two games. Donaldson's playing time is ramping up, and though his power production isn't up to its usual levels -- he has only three extra-base hits across 40 at-bats in September -- he's still shown the ability to reach base at a strong clip.

Donaldson is not in the lineup Monday against the White Sox, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

Donaldson has hit just .219 in 10 games since joining Cleveland, though he has a pair of homers and a respectable enough .712 OPS. Yandy Diaz will start at third base Monday.

Donaldson is not in the lineup Thursday against the White Sox, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Donaldson will take a seat for Thursday's series finale after starting the last three games, going 1-for-9 with three walks and a run scored over those contests. Yandy Diaz will cover third base and hit sixth in his place.