DUNEDIN, Fla. — Josh Donaldson took a significant step forward Saturday in his recovery from a strained right calf, running the bases at full speed on a backfield at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Donaldson hasn’t run the bases since he strained his calf nearly a month ago, and said he didn’t experience any trouble during the test.

The Blue Jays will wait and see how Donaldson’s calf responds Sunday morning before deciding on a next step. However, Donaldson hopes to play in a minor-league game on Sunday and test his legs even further there. Earlier this week, fellow recovering Blue Jay Devon Travis hit and ran in a minor-league game a day after running the bases on a backfield like Donaldson did on Saturday.

“Everything went really well,” Donaldson said after running the bases. “No problems, no issues.”

Donaldson was originally scheduled to play in a minor-league game on Saturday, taking at-bats but not running the bases. However, that plan was scrapped mid-morning and Donaldson stayed back to test his calf on the base paths.

“That was the first time I’ve run the bases in a while,” Donaldson said. “But I felt like I was getting up to top speed with no issues. Hopefully I’ll be back in a couple days.”

If Donaldson’s calf feels strong on Sunday, it could clear the way for him to make his Grapefruit League debut on Monday or Tuesday.

In preparation for Saturday’s test, Donaldson has been easing his calf back into running on an anti-gravity treadmill, which reduces body weight impact. Donaldson began using the treadmill Tuesday, with the machine set to 50 per cent of his body mass. He advanced to 100 per cent on Friday.

The third baseman only has a couple more hurdles to clear in the field. Blue Jays trainers still want to see him running in from his position to field soft ground balls, especially when exploding off his right leg and planting on it when he stops.

They also want to test Donaldson’s ability to throw on the run and complete one of his signature plays at third base, where he charges a ball rolling down the line, fields it bare-handed, and throws from his right leg.

“They just want me prepared for every play and everything I’m going to have to do in a game,” Donaldson said. “Just so that there’s no issue and I’m not having to think about it in a game situation.”

Donaldson’s taken 12 at-bats in minor-league games thus far and said his pitch recognition and timing is where he wants it to be. He’s hit home runs in two of the three games he’s taken at-bats in so far.

“Hitting, I feel fine—I feel really good at the plate right now,” Donaldson said. “I’m happy with where it’s going.”

There’s no doubt Donaldson will be ready to play on opening day. But with another test passed in his recovery from the injury, he’ll soon be able to start getting at-bats against a higher quality of pitching than he’s been seeing.

“The goal right now is to get into a game hopefully sometime at the beginning of next week,” Donaldson said. “We’ll see how I come in Sunday and how I respond to the running. But I think that’s going to be fine. I feel really good.”