Former Blue Jay Josh Donaldson switches to No. 27 with Indians

Josh Donaldson seen in the dugout wearing his new Cleveland Indians uniform. He chats with former Toronto Blue Jays teammate Edwin Encarnacion about his new number, as #20 is retired in honour of Frank Robinson in Cleveland.

Josh Donaldson will be wearing a different number when he takes the field for the Cleveland Indians, whenever that may be.

The 2015 AL MVP will wear No. 27 in Cleveland, switching from the No. 20 he wore with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Indians acquired Donaldson from the Blue Jays on Friday for a player to be named later.

It’s still unclear when fans will get to see Donaldson on the field in his new uniform. He hasn’t played in an MLB game since May 28 and the Indians don’t plan to rush him into the lineup while he continues to recover from a calf injury.

“What we’re looking to do is have Josh come here and assess him,” Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said after the trade was announced Friday. “Then work with him to figure out what is the best plan to get him back to playing major league games on a regular basis at some point this month. Whether that’s at the middle or end, or some time sooner than that we don’t yet know, but we want to partner with Josh in developing that plan.”

Donaldson has worn No. 20 in the majors since 2012, first with the Oakland Athletics and then the Blue Jays. As a rookie in 2010, he wore No. 29 in Oakland.

The Indians will travel to Toronto next week for a four game series against the Blue Jays beginning Sept. 6.

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