Yankees’ third baseman Josh Donaldson has been diagnosed with a “Grade 1-plus strain” of his right hamstring, manager Aaron Boone tells reporters, including Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Boone says Donaldson will probably miss a couple of weeks.
Donaldson was initially placed on the injured list due to this strain a couple of weeks ago but seemed set to be activated on Wednesday. He ultimately wasn’t activated and it was reported that he underwent an MRI to examine his resumed tightness. It seems that the imaging found the strain still lingering and he will need to a miss more time getting healthy.
Donaldson is looking to bounce back after a frustrating 2022 where he hit .222/.308/.374 for a wRC+ of 97. He was still graded well for his glovework but it was his first subpar offensive effort since 2012. He got into five games here in 2023 but mustered a paltry .125/.176/.313 showing before this hamstring issue put him on the shelf. He’s in the final guaranteed season of the four-year deal he signed with the Twins going into 2020.
With Donaldson out, the Yankees have mostly turned to DJ LeMahieu at the hot corner. Utility players Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Oswaldo Cabrera have also been in the mix, though prospect Oswald Peraza is getting the start tonight. With Giancarlo Stanton expected to miss the next six weeks or so, the designated hitter spot is also open for players to be rotated through, with LeMahieu in there for tonight’s contest.
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Please take your time; no rush!
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A grade 1 strain for a grade A pain!
bringer of strain
Here come the sarcastic comments.
I f’g love sarcasm…
Thank god for the sarcastic comments.
Brian Cashman for Executive of the the Year!!!
NEVER would wish anyone poor health, but the Yankees have a ton of capable infielders so his presence on the field will not be missed. Still looking for that solid left handed hitting OFer.
At this point they should just package him with a decent prospect and lottery ticket and send him somewhere for some salary relief. They will be looking to buy at the deadline and every buck they save from his contract will help when they are looking for that rental starter to get them to the playoffs. We all know Rodon will be all moved into the Carl Pavano Memorial MRI Tube by then and he won’t throw a pitch in a game until 2027 or so. I wonder how many GMs got a chuckle out of finding out he signed Rodon. Guy will never learn to avoid oft injured pitchers. Sevy will probably turn back into his rookie self in the second half and Cashman will give him a 5 year contract for a $100m.
He and Stanton need to write a book. How to steal money… and get away with it. (Foreword written by jacoby ellsbury)
Inspired by Stephen Strasburg
Carl pavano would like to add a chapter or two
Barry Zito calls your bet and raises you.
Do you guys remember Wayne Garland? He was one of the first free agents in 1976 and signed with Cleveland for $2.3 million over ten years. Believe it or not, that made him one of the best paid players in the game. Injuries took a toll, and Cleveland released him in 1981. His deal was the first major free-agent bust in baseball.
Or Don Gullett? Signed a six-year $2 million deal with the Yankees in 1976, Didn’t even make it through the 1978 season, which turned out to be his last.
Well Andy Messwrsmith one if the first free agents signed with the Braves for 1.1M over 3 years in 1976 after the 1975 ruling making him and Dave McNally free agents, Andy didn’t fair too well and was out of baseball after the 79 season.
Darren Dreifort anyone? 5 years $55M 20 years ago which was a lot back then…..made only 26 starts
At least he got to wear that Channel 17 jersey for a brief time.
I think the free agency began in 1977. However, Curt Flood, Dave McNally, Catfish Hunter and Andy Messersmith were free agents before then. Messersmith might be the first free agent flop. He was injured for most of his post free agency.
Also Ken Harrelson in the late ’60s
Madison Bum while sunning in Arizona , wrote a chapter titled “I left my arm in San Francisco “
Would make a good song parody with “Are you Going to San Francisco?”
Chris Davis would like his own chapter, thank you very much.
Throw Hunter Renfroe into that mix of robbers!!!
Your comment is awaiting moderation…what is this? You tyrants?
I did that.
I like to bust people’s chops like that.
Their ghost writer is Jacob Ellsbury!
Let’s not forget Kai Igawa
It seems the “bringer of rain” may be all dried up…
Bringer of shame*
Yes… Yes! YES! (Clears throat…)
I-I mean, here’s hoping for a pain-free rehab and a total recovery.
Um probably a blessing really for the Yankees. Play one of your prospects and let them have a shot at facing MLB pitching.
All that swinging and missing at pitches over the heart of the plate in his short Yankees tenure has clearly taken it’s toll on Donaldson’s body.
Really shocking. He’s been so durable…
Craven that’s how he “brings the rain”. I cannot believe I wanted the Braves to extend this guy. Bullet dodged.
He had a beast of a season in Atlanta, he looked like a guy that would’ve aged pretty good too, it’s just hard to predict free agents sometimes. But now you have a young superstar in Riley so it all worked out for the Braves!
a lot of hitters had beast years in 2019. i wonder how many teams overpaid based on juiced-ball performances
AA and the Braves know when to let them walk, unlike CashMan and the Yanks.
If anyone dodged a bullet it’s the Twins in that trade. People forget that the Yankees also received Rortvedt in that infamous transaction (who is built like a Greek statue but gets hurt so much that even Giancarlo Stanton is raising his eyebrows).
True, Twins unloaded Donaldson and never looked back. Yankees got the short end of that straw.
Tell us something we don’t know.
Twins did lose Kiner too… leaving them with a hole at shortstop. It was tough but with that hole and a bunch of extra money they were kinda backed into a corner signing someone Yankees fans actually wanted.
That’s untrue. Correa was never wanted by the Yankees. The media built that all up. He can stay in Minnesota, that’s fine. No need for him here.
Yankees would just love to have Carlos Correa.
@Hank- then why isn’t he a Yankee then? Exactly, because they NEVER wanted him.
The Yankees had/have two good catchers.
They didn’t need the roidboy.
That bullet was never fired. It was never the plan for Atlanta to extend him. It was a one year low risk deal to get Riley one more year in the minors. That was the plan the whole time.
Does Pereza play third?
No, Peraza plays shortstop or 2nd. He’s better at shortstop then Volpe actually. DJ and IKF will play 3rd.
You’re right, but I wonder down the road. I think Peraza could play third beautifully. It all depends on what the Yankees have in mind for Torres.
Hey Mic, truthfully if I had my choice I would probably try to trade Peraza in a package for Bryan Reynolds, then I would sign Torres to an extension. That being said I see Peraza eventually as the Yankees starting shortstop, with Volpe playing 2nd, then Gleyber being traded somewhere. We’ll see what happens. Hope all is well, and let me know thanks.
Was at my opening day 2021 in Milwaukee. Donaldson ripped a stand up double in the gap first at bat of the year, and pulled his calf lightly jogging. Dude is glass
Who says No
Yanks trade Donaldson Hicks IFK
for
Yelich
Loaded Q here, nuanced responses please
Throw in a signed baseball by Trea Turner and it’s a done deal
What’s Milwaukee’s incentive to make that deal?
100+ mill in savings the 5 years prior to this one
Any beer but Bud Light from what Buster Olney is reporting
Bud Light is still the same beer it was before. I will take all the BL you triggered people want to give away.
TBH Joe I find the whole thing entertaining. I don’t even drink anymore and just find humor in the whole ordeal.
What triggers me is the mass incompetence of Brian Cashman 🙂
Kid Rock brought a whole new meaning to shot-gunning beers
Putting aside a 52 year old man calling himself “kid”, he’s just trying to remain relevant.
Lol like he shot gunned his career.
The triggered people are Budweiser thinking they needed to put a trans person on the can.
It’s all theater to divide the people. Like every other agenda that gets pushed.
With the Yankees picking up all of Yelich’s remaining salary I assume? Or who picks up the tab? Hicks and Donaldson are still owed a bit of money too.
No monies transferred
@Cap & Crunch- No thanks, easy pass on Yelich.
Yelich is a lefty, Yankee stadium has a short porch, he might recover his power in that stadium. Still wouldn’t bite?
100% w you Captain
Post was sort of a mini troll to see how fed up w Donny Hicks Yanks fans are right now
Love the way Mil operates but Yeli’s gonna hurt thier arc as a small market team
. This might be the most passable trade to get Mil off the deal- Id think they would have to add 6~10 mill the last 3 Yeli years before Yanks even began to entertain it. Would have probably a greater chance with George than Hal and Co
@Cap & Crunch- you know you might actually have something here with with this trade. What do I know? With the Yankees bad luck, Milwaukee probably would say no. Which team do you root for? Hope all is well. I really enjoy your posts, keep em’ coming. Thanks.
@Capncrunch Hicks is a $10M bench-warmer. If Yelich doesn’t regain form, he’s another Josh Donaldson – a long-term one. I would say Stanton but at least he does hit when he *can* play. IKF is useful in his current Yankees role and his salary isn’t a big deal relative to their total payroll. With that said, the trade doesn’t make the Brewers a better team this year while in contention and they would need to clear two roster spots to fit them all. Yelich also still has name value and is a leader in MIL. Can’t be said of any of those other three.
Yelich is going downhill but he’s still more valuable than those three.
Capn- Dodgers home team but I like getting nerdy with all 30 teams…I know armchair GM has a negative connotation but yea that’s what Id consider myself
Bleacher- Typically your correct but if any team would take this line its Mil. They kinda did last year w Hader when in contention. Its tough for Mil : they have to think about the whole picture rather than (what us) Dodger/Yanks fans look at which is right in front of us –
Hank- The trade would be more about the 6 years prior than 2023
* I think Mil makes this trade in a NY minute! Ny, maybe George but probably not the current regime
Add in that any salary paid while Yelich is on the IL will be split 50/50 by both teams
“Grade 1-plus strain”
Dr. Boonedoggle strikes again.
“Why don’t you just call it a 2?”
“Well, it’s not quite a two.”
“So is it a 1 and a half?”
“No, it’s more than that.”
“So, maybe a 1 and two thirds?”
“Well, it’s more like a 1.73 so we can’t be more precise than 1-plus.”
“Oh, OK.”
Here’s Peraza’s opportunity. Grab it.
Put those infield prospects on the roster and see what you got.
At least he ain’t Jackie.
Why would you say that? Rush Hour and Rumble in the Bronx were excellent films 🙂
Not that Jackie.
Plus Jackie did his own stunts in those movies, it was cool to see the credits showing how many injuries Jackie incurred while filming Rumble in the Bronx awesome movie!
Im sick about this news !!!!!!.
Wow the Yankees are sure going to miss this important piece in their everyday lineup! The horror. Hurry back.
Time to make the change and get the kids into the infield…….Donaldson needs to be DFA’d and the Yankees need to move forward…..lots more kids having good seasons in the minors…..let’s go Cash…..make the changes!
Do these guys even know how to stretch their legs? Good God, its baseball, not track.
Addition by subtraction in my opinion
Donaldson has around 100 million reasons to test free agency if the Yankees don’t pick up his option for next season.
From pain in the arse to pain in the hammy
If they choose Oswald, Will he be allowed to Face Ian Kennedy when they play in Dallas against the Rangers.?
And will this Oswald be a player or a patsy?
It all depends if the Rangers fire Maddox and hire Randy Johnson as their pitching coach.
My first thought :Good.
Donaldsuck is more productive on the bench than in the lineup
Now if only Aaron Hicks and Israeli Diner-Falafel could injure their hamstrings, Yankee fans everywhere will rejoice.
I’m sure Yankees fans are bawling their eyes out knowing their favourite player Josh is hurt!