Stephen Vogt

Blue Jays' Donaldson preparing to face A's in return to Oakland

Published Jul. 21, 2015 10:23 a.m. ET

foxsports

Tuesday night, Toronto Blue Jays third baseman/AL MVP candidate Josh Donaldson will take the field at a familiar spot: the third-base bag at O.co Coliseum.

Donaldson and the Jays will open a series against the Oakland Athletics, facilitating a reunion between Donaldson and the club that traded him away shortly after the 2014 season concluded.

Emotions among A's fans will surely be running high - after all, Donaldson comes into the game hitting a robust .288/.351/.530 with 22 home runs and 62 RBIs, all while posting a WAR of 4.8 and started the All-Star Game for the AL after amassing more than 10 million votes.

He's doing quite well in Toronto, despite the Jays hovering around the .500 mark for much of the year. The A's, meanwhile, enter the series 43-51, a tick ahead of the Seattle Mariners in the competitive AL West.

As for his former Oakland teammates, they shared some thoughts about the offseason trade with John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group. Outfielder Josh Reddick summed up the players' viewpoint as follows: "It was a huge hit when we heard about it. J.D. had been our best hitter the last two seasons. Obviously, we didn't want to see him go. He basically carried the team. We got some good people back, though, and he's kept going."

Those 'good people' will be on display Tuesday, as pitcher Kendall Graveman (who has become one of the A's more promising young hurlers) and third baseman Brett Lawrie (hitting .280 on the year and mostly staying injury-free for the A's) are contributing well after coming over in the Donaldson trade.

Catcher Stephen Vogt gave Hickey more insight into the players' reactions upon hearing about the trade: "(Donaldson) was the first one to go. It was kind of a sign of how the winter was going to shape up. For me, it wasn't as much of a blow as it was a 'Whoa!'"

Vogt was quick to credit the newcomers as fitting in well so far: "Kendall and Brett have done really good work. J.D. is a great hitter, and he has had a great time in Toronto. I'm happy he's playing well. It'll be exciting for the fans to see Josh Donaldson once more. I hope to see him not put on a show, though."

In speaking to Hickey, Donaldson expressed an appreciation for the Rogers Centre's more hitter-friendly dimensions as compared to O.co Coliseum's cavernous outfield, which routinely robs hitters of extra bases due to its expansive outfield.

While the players sound excited to see Donaldson return, A's manager Bob Melvin spoke in a more reserved tone regarding his departed third base star. As he said to Hickey about the reunion: "There was so much he did here, but you have to move on. It's baseball. I'm hoping he's quiet against us and then breaks out against somebody else."