It's believed the Aherlow defender, has suffered a recurrence of a previous hip problem.
McDonald who plays corner back, captained Tipp to Munster U21 glory in 2010…he had returned from a hip complaint to play a starring role in last year's championship, when the Premier County reached the last 12 for the second time in three seasons.
McDonald’s absence from the side makes Sunday’s opening League fixture away to Armagh an even more difficult assignment as his clubmate Seamus Grogan is also out for up to six weeks after undergoing surgery on a knee cartilage problem.
But Borrisokane forward Philip Austin should be fit enough to make the bench after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Tipp take on Armagh in their League opener on Sunday in Armagh with a throw in time of 2 o'clock.
