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New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone has made a tough decision with struggling veterans Josh Donaldson and DJ LeMahieu, who are both on the bench for Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers. Boone revealed his thought process behind the difficult decisions, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
“I just felt like I wanted to go with IKF [at third base] today. Hopefully give us a little spark.”
Boone said that he wanted to go with Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who has become something of a utility player for the Yankees, to give the team a “spark” at third.
If that doesn't show you where things are at with Donaldson and LeMahieu, then nothing will. Boone is looking to IKF, who struggled mightily at times last year and this season, to supplant a former American League MVP in Donaldson and a two-time batting title winner in LeMahieu.
But neither Yankees veteran has played to the back of their respective baseball cards in 2023. Donaldson has eight hits this season- and six of them are home runs. Since being traded to the Yankees, the star third baseman has posted an underwhelming .673 OPS.
Meanwhile, LeMahieu has failed to live up to the $90 million contract extension he signed back in 2021, as his batting average has declined from .327 back in 2019 all the way down to .228 this year.
LeMahieu is tinkering with his mechanics in the hopes of making a change, acknowledging that he “hasn't hit this bad in awhile” to reporters on Friday.
Perhaps Donaldson is also tinkering with mechanics behind closed doors.
Either way, the Yankees need this to serve as a wake-up call for both Donaldson and LeMahieu.
