New York Yankees fans react as Josh Donaldson’s return from injury delayed after he hurts his thumb at home: "Take the rest of the season off"

It's been more than a month since the hopes and dreams of New York Yankees fans were answered as reviled third baseman Josh Donaldson went on the injured list. The 37-year-old injured his right hamstring in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies, forcing the move that Yankee Nation had been waiting for.

At the time, most were expecting a relatively short stay on the IL. Donaldson began a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on April 21. However, as of the third week of May, he was still absent from Yankee Stadium.

And now on Thursday comes the news that Donaldson's prospective return will be delayed further as he suffered a thumb injury while at home.

Josh Donaldson was acquired along with utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa in a multi-player trade with the Minnesota Twins before the 2022 season. Donaldson has hit .219 with just 16 home runs and 63 RBIs in 137 games with the Yankees.

After rumors of his possible retirement were squashed this offseason, Donaldson returned to play out the final year of a four-year, $92 million contract. His return was much to the chagrin of New Yorkers. Retirement would have saved the team approximately $27 million this season, funds that could have been spent on obtaining more pitching or outfield help.

After insisting that he still has much to contribute to the New York Yankees, Donaldson stumbled out of the gate by hitting a scant .125 with one home run and one RBI in five games. He was lustily booed upon every plate appearance at Yankee Stadium.

Needless to say, New Yorkers are in no rush to see Donaldson return.

New York Yankees fans took no time at all before mocking Josh Donaldson for his seeming inability to not hurt himself while engaged in simple domestic chores.

It's been a season of injury after injury for the New York Yankees. However, there are likely few fans eagerly anticipating Josh Donaldson's return anywhere near as much as Giancarlo Stanton's.

There are still a handful of New York Yankees fans holding out slim hope that the team will get fed up and let Josh Donaldson go before his contract runs out at the end of the season.

Josh Donaldson an anchor on New York Yankees

Josh Donaldson of the New York Yankees throws to first base.

The mid-March 2022 trade really hasn't worked out for either team. The trade sent Donaldson, Kiner-Falefa and catcher Ben Rortvedt to New York. In exchange, Minnesota received catcher Gary Sanchez and third baseman Gio Urshela.

Donaldson and Kiner-Falefa have underperformed and are reviled in New York, while Rortvedt hasn't played since 2021 due to knee surgery. Urshela and Sanchez were both one-year-and-done with the Twins. Urshela is now with the Los Angeles Angels. Sanchez is playing for the New York Mets' Triple-A team in Syracuse, waiting for a call-up to the big league club.