Roughly six months after Aaron Boone stated it might be “crazy” to assume that Josh Donaldson wasn’t able to a bounce-back season, the Yankees have launched the 37-year-old third baseman.
Donaldson, eligible for a $6 million buyout this offseason, has been on the injured listing since July 20 after struggling a high-grade calf pressure. He wouldn’t have been capable of come off of the IL till mid-September. But with the Yankees targeted on youthful gamers and Donaldson a surefire goner this winter, it might have made zero sense to activate him subsequent month.
Boone just lately stated that Donaldson was nearing a rehab project and that he deliberate on staying in Tampa following the Yankees’ latest sequence towards the Rays. The veteran has made himself extremely seen in latest weeks, operating, fielding and taking batting apply in entrance of reporters. The day of the commerce deadline, Aug. 1, Donaldson warmly greeted a number of writers on the sphere earlier than operating towards the outfield, as if to point that he was forward of schedule simply weeks after a severe damage.
Donaldson has handled a number of accidents because the Yankees acquired him from the Twins alongside Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt in March 2022. The Yankees despatched Gary Sánchez and Gio Urshela to Minnesota in that ill-fated commerce.
When wholesome, Donaldson performed a stellar third base for the Yankees, however the former MVP gave them little offense. While he managed to hit 10 house runs in 33 video games this 12 months, he solely had 5 different hits.
Donaldson’s Yankees profession ends with a slash line of .207/.293/.385, 25 homers, 77 RBI and a 91 OPS+ over 165 video games.
With numbers like that, Donaldson will go down as one of many worst commerce acquisitions of Brian Cashman’s profession. And that’s earlier than contemplating Donaldson’s $21.75 million wage every of the final two seasons or the clubhouse distraction that he triggered final May when he referred to as White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson, who’s Black, “Jackie.”
Anderson’s friends instantly famous that the remark, a reference to Jackie Robinson, was racist, and members of the Yankees, together with Aaron Judge, stated Donaldson was within the unsuitable. Donaldson obtained a one-game suspension and a superb from Major League Baseball. He landed on the COVID-19 injured listing the identical day, which saved him away from the Yankees longer than his suspension would have.
Donaldson appealed the ban and misplaced, although his superb was diminished.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan just lately advised The Michael Kay Show that the Yankees knew Donaldson didn’t get together with teammates in Minnesota and that “there was some toxicity going on there.”
A 13-year veteran who shortly grew to become unpopular amongst Yankees followers, Donaldson has performed for six completely different groups. A .262/.359/.491 profession hitter with 276 homers and 805 RBI, he stated he hoped to offer himself a chance to play in 2024 when he first sustained his calf damage.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com