When Josh Donaldson first came off the field with calf tightness on July 31, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said he hoped the injury wouldn't be a "major issue" for his star third baseman. One week later, Donaldson isn't any closer to returning to the field as Minnesota officially placed him on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain on Friday.

Donaldson's IL stint is retroactive to Tuesday, meaning he will be eligible to come off the IL in time for the first game of the Twins' upcoming homestand next Friday. Jake Odorizzi took Donaldson's place on the active roster when the right-hander was activated from the IL prior to his start in Saturday's game.

Baldelli said that Donaldson has made progress since the injury, but that timeline still put him in a situation where an IL stint was unavoidable. With Odorizzi joining the roster, the Twins will have 16 active pitchers and only 12 position players, a roster composition that makes more sense considering the club is in the midst of playing 36 games in 37 days.

“With 30-man rosters, we felt we had the flexibility to maybe play this out for a few days,” president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said Friday on FOX Sports North. “After having him run a little bit today, he was still sore. We felt like [this was] the best thing to do, to be smart about this and make sure that he gets this fully taken care of before he gets back on the field, so we’re going to put him on the IL for a few days.”

The Twins remain cautious with Donaldson, who signed a four-year, $92 million deal during the offseason, to avoid the risk of a lingering injury. That's perhaps a more significant consideration due to Donaldson's history of issues with both calves that cost him significant time in the 2017 and '18 seasons.

Though the Minnesota lineup hasn't yet hit its stride, the Twins entered Friday with a 5-1 record in Donaldson's absence, with Marwin González and Ehire Adrianza filling in capably around the infield. Donaldson slashed .182/.296/.318 with a homer and four walks in seven games prior to the injury.

"He looks fine to the eye doing a lot of these things, but we are going to make sure that this is not going to be a long-term issue," Baldelli said. "Even if you're close with a muscle injury and you're able to do a lot, it doesn't mean you're 100 percent. I want to make sure he's 100 percent out there."

Baldelli said that Donaldson has "looked pretty good" while swinging a bat, but the third baseman still hasn't been able to bring his sprinting and lateral agility up to game speed, which will likely be a limiting factor in his ability to factor back into the game.

"[Donaldson] can do some things at less than full speed and feel OK doing them, but it's just getting to that last point where he can do it at full speed and feel good about it," Baldelli said.

Arraez, Bailey, Hill updates
Luis Arraez was out of the lineup for a second straight day with what Baldelli described as "very minor" knee soreness, but the Twins' manager expects his second baseman to return to action within the next two days. Arraez's absence on Thursday was originally described as a planned off-day, but Baldelli said Arraez's soreness persisted beyond the one day off his feet.

"It's something that he's dealt with before, and it's just kind of sprouted up on us," Baldelli said. "I don’t have really any concern."

Baldelli said that Rich Hill (left shoulder fatigue) is with the team in Kansas City as he continues his throwing progression and could ramp up soon. Hill said earlier in the week that he expected to throw a bullpen session at some point this weekend. The veteran left-hander is eligible to come off the injured list on Monday in Milwaukee.

Meanwhile, Homer Bailey (right biceps tendinitis) remained behind in the Twin Cities and is not currently throwing, Baldelli said, indicating that the right-hander's return is not imminent, though Friday marks his 10th day on the injured list. Randy Dobnak's success as a full member of the rotation (one earned run in 15 innings) could help the Twins continue to weather Bailey's absence.

Twins tidbits
• Though outfielder Aaron Whitefield was optioned off the roster on Wednesday night, he remains with the Twins on this road trip along with the three members of the taxi squad: left-hander Sam Clay, right-hander Cory Gearrin and catcher Tomás Telis. Because of the 10-day cool-down period required before an optioned player can be reinstated to the roster, Whitefield is only eligible to return to the Twins due to injury considerations.