Blue Jays' Darwin Barney: Looking to take reigns at third base

Barney started at third base for the second straight game and went 1-for-2 in Thursday's loss to the Orioles. The Jays' regular third baseman, Josh Donaldson, filled the DH role and exited the game early after reaggrevating his calf injury.

The biggest news here is that Donaldson was removed from the contest after pulling up lame while running the bases. Donaldson continues to deal with a right calf issue that has already cost him time this season. That said, it might be time for the Jays to shut down the slugger for a bit and turn the reigns over to Barney. The latter did a fine job filling in for a slew of injured infielders last year, including 32 games in which Barney took over third for Donaldson. With expanded positional eligibility and a major bump in playing time possibly coming his way, Barney could become useful in AL-only formats if Donaldson does in fact need time off.