Aaron Boone attempts to explain Josh Donaldson's plate woes to Yankees fans

If it feels like a long time since Josh Donaldson won the AL MVP, that would be because it has been. Now a struggling 37-yea- old first baseman for the Yankees, his days in the league may be numbered.

A native of the Florida panhandle, Josh Donaldson cruised to AL MVP glory after hitting .297/.371/.568 with 41 home runs and a league-best 123 RBIs as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2015. However, ever since, his offensive stats have been in a nosedive.

Things reached a new low for Donaldson when he arrived in New York in tandem with shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa following a trade with the Twins in March 2022. The third baseman finished 2022 with a .222 average alongside 15 home runs and 62 RBIs in 132 games. For Donaldson, these numbers represented the worst of his career to date.

"Scr*w it. Josh Donaldson highlights" - Tommy

However bad 2022 was, his numbers in 2023 invite some serious questions about the three-time All-Star. In 26 games, Josh Donaldson is hitting .131, translating to 11-for-93. Following an 0-for-3 outing against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, the boos began mercilessly raining down on Donaldson, who was his team's DH.

Following the New York Yankees' 6-3 win over the O's, manager Aaron Boone attempted to take some of the heat off of Donaldson. The 49-year-old manager said:

“If you dig a little bit — it’s not always a popular thing because the numbers are what they are and he’s struggled in that regard — he’s hit a lot of balls hard in 70 at-bats or so’’

Josh Donaldson has missed about 60 games this season on account of hamstring issues. In his retort, Boone attempted to call attention to the fact that perhaps Donaldson has not had enough time to settle in with the team this season.

Josh Donaldson could be on his way out before long

While Donaldson has treated fans to a fantastic career in six different markets, it appears as though his star is starting to set. Donaldson has already floated the idea of retiring after the season, and judging by the way Yankees fans appear to be acting, it might be best of if he does.

Still 10 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East, it appears less and less likely that the Yankees are heading anywhere this season.