New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson is nearing a return to the club after being sidelined for nearly two months with a hamstring strain. Aaron Boone said his role will be no different than what it was before the injury.
The Yankees manager said that Donaldson will be an everyday player upon his return to the Yankees lineup, according to Bryan Hoch. Boone also said Donaldson could start a rehab assignment on Thursday.
Donaldson, who has been on the injured list since April 8, made one minor league rehab start on April 18 but was quickly shelved again when he aggravated the injury. In five games in the big leagues this season, Donaldson is 2-for-16 at the plate.
Currently in his second season with the Yankees, Donaldson has had his fair share of criticism from the Bronx faithful. The former AL MVP played in 132 games for New York in 2022 and posted career lows in several key offensive categories, including batting average, OPS, home runs and RBIs.
It would be foolish for Yankees fans to expect Donaldson to be the same player he was eight years ago when he won MVP, but Yankees fans are a ‘what have you done for me lately' type of fanbase and give no slack to any player, former MVP or not.
DJ Lemahieu has held down third base for the Yankees for the majority of Josh Donaldson's absence. With Giancarlo Stanton out with an injury, Donaldson could be given the bulk of the designated hitting duties until Stanton returns.
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