Yankees' Josh Donaldson's ponders retirement after chastening season, fanbase trolls his decision

Over the course of his 13-year career, Josh Donaldson has put together quite an impressive record. A former MVP winner, Donaldson has also put his name beside several Silver Sluggers and multiple All-Star designations.

However, ever since coming to the New York Yankees in a March 2022 trade, Donaldson has been unable to recapture the magic that so came to define him in some of the earlier parts of his career.

After finishing 2022 hitting .222/.308/.374, career-worst numbers for the Florida-native, Donaldson is continuing to underwhelm in 2023. He sat out most of April and May with a hamstring strain, and has hit .151 with 6 home runs and 8 RBIs in 17 games. Recently, the 37-year old claimed that he might not be returning to the MLB next season.

Although Josh Donaldson's four-year, $92 million deal includes a team option for 2024, recent performances may have led Donaldson to believe it is time to pack it in. Fans, who took to Twitter to voice their thoughts, do not seem too upset at the prospect of losing their third baseman.

Donaldson came to the Yankees in a trade with shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa, which sent catcher Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela to the Minnesota Twins. Kiner-Falefa has also received his fair share of fan blowback since arriving in New York. After hitting .261 with 4 homers last season, the Hawaiian is only hitting .233/.272/.340 with 3 home runs and 15 RBIs in 54 games.

Over the past 15 days, the New York Yankees have a batting average of just .199, placing them last in the MLB over that period of time. Donaldson has personally hit just .138 over that period of time.

The past several games has seen an implosion of the Yankees offense. Coincidentally, the team has not won a series since captain Aaron Judge broke his toe against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 4, which has called the team's depth into question.

The time may have come for Josh Donaldson

The days of Donaldson plugging out 35 or more home runs are very likely over. With his hitting stats very much on the decline, Josh Donaldson might be very sensibly suggesting it is time for him to hang his glove up. Unfortunately in sport, nothing, and nobody lasts forever.

About the author

Adrian Dorney is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda. Having worked over five years in the industry, Adrian strives to combine statistical analysis with the human side of baseball reporting. Since a lot of his briefs involve publishing content with urgency, he has perfected a process involving a combination of trustworthy sources and assessment with intuition.

His lifelong tryst with baseball began with growing up in Toronto and watching the Blue Jays regularly. His favorite player is Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr., and Jose Bautista's go-ahead home run in 2015 ALDS Game 5 remains his favorite baseball memory to date.

When not working, Adrian is constantly looking to learn new things and he also loves playing golf and chess.

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