Josh Donaldson
3B FA
Wed 4/5/23 1:48 PM

Donaldson left Wednesday's game against the Phillies in the third inning, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
No reason has been given for why Donaldson exited the game. Isiah Kiner-Falefa has replaced the third baseman.

Josh Donaldson
3B FA
Mon 4/3/23 3:11 PM

Donaldson is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Phillies.
EDGE Analysis
Donaldson will get a breather after he manned third base for each of the Yankees' three games in the team's season-opening series with the Giants, during which he went a collective 2-for-11 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run. Though he remains the team's preferred option at the hot corner, Donaldson will likely be subject to at least one or two days off per week while the Yankees rotate leadoff man DJ LeMahieu across three infield spots.

Josh Donaldson
3B FA
Sat 4/1/23 11:24 PM

Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Giants.
EDGE Analysis
His eighth-inning blast off Taylor Rogers -- Donaldson's first homer of the year -- brought the Yankees to within a run, only for the Giants to tack on some insurance in the top of the ninth. The 37-year-old third baseman may not have much left in the tank after a rough 2022 that saw him hit only 15 homers in 132 games with a career-low .682 OPS, but Donaldson is still capable of punishing a mistake.

Josh Donaldson
3B FA
Wed 3/22/23 12:44 PM

Donaldson went 2-for-3 with two home runs and four RBI in a Grapefruit League game against Detroit on Tuesday.
EDGE Analysis
Donaldson hasn't hit particularly well this spring -- he has a .226/.314/.548 slash line over 35 plate appearances -- but Tuesday's performance gives him three long balls and eight RBI over 12 games. The veteran appears set to open the campaign as the Yankees' starting third baseman, but the team has plenty of infield depth should Donaldson struggle. He hit just .222 with 15 home runs over 546 plate appearances last season, but it's also worth noting that Donaldson slugged 26 homers and hit .247 the year prior, so he could still have some gas left in the tank.

Josh Donaldson
3B FA
Sat 3/18/23 11:23 PM

Donaldson went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts Saturday in a Grapefruit League contest against the Blue Jays.
EDGE Analysis
It has not been a strong exhibition season for Donaldson, as the hitless effort sees the former MVP drop his slash to .200/.310/.360 in Grapefruit League play. The 37-year-old is expected to open the year as the primary third baseman for the Yankees, but with several quality infield options -- and Donaldson's poor play in 2022 -- his hold on that job is precarious.

Josh Donaldson
3B FA
Sun 2/19/23 12:38 PM

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that he envisions Donaldson serving as the team's starting third baseman this season, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
Though the skipper noted that Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres will likely join Donaldson as the preferred starters at three of the infield spots, DJ LeMahieu is expected to rove between first base, second base, third base and designated hitter to maintain a near-everyday role. As a result, Donaldson could be at risk of sitting the most of the trio, given that he endured a rough 2022 campaign in which he finished with a .682 OPS and a 27.1 percent strikeout rate, his worst marks since 2012 and 2011, respectively. Donaldson still graded out well defensively at the hot corner, but his declining bat, advancing age and injury history still might make it difficult for him to match or surpass the 546 plate appearances he logged in his first season in New York.

Josh Donaldson
3B FA
Tue 10/4/22 11:55 AM

Donaldson will sit for the first of Tuesday's two games against the Rangers.
EDGE Analysis
The Yankees won't ask many regulars to play two games in one day, as they're locked into the second seed in the American League regardless of what happens in their final three games. Oswaldo Cabrera will play third base in Donaldson's absence.

Josh Donaldson
3B FA
Fri 9/30/22 3:06 PM

Donaldson isn't starting Friday against the Orioles.
EDGE Analysis
Donaldson started the last three games and went 1-for-13 with two runs, an RBI and eight strikeouts. DJ LeMahieu will start at third base and bat fifth after being reinstated from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Josh Donaldson
3B FA
Sun 9/25/22 3:31 PM

Donaldson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.
EDGE Analysis
Donaldson started the past 12 games and will head to the bench after he posted an .864 OPS with three home runs during that span. Marwin Gonzalez will take over at the hot corner in Sunday's series finale.

Josh Donaldson
3B FA
Fri 9/23/22 9:48 AM

Donaldson went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 5-4 victory over Boston.
EDGE Analysis
Donaldson delivered a walk-off RBI single off righty reliever Kaleb Ort with nobody out in the 10th. The third baseman has recorded one hit or more in 11 of his last 12 games with a .962 OPS over 55 plate appearances during that span. In addition, the 36-year-old has tallied eight RBI over his last 11 games.