The Yankees have placed veteran third baseman Josh Donaldson on the injured list, retroactive to April 6, the team announced Saturday. Donaldson was forced to leave the Wednesday's eventual win over the Phillies with tightness in his right hamstring.
Donaldson, 37, was off to a slow start in 2023. Through five games and 17 plate appearances, he has a slash line of .125/.176/.313 with one home run, one walk, and six strikeouts. This comes after a somewhat disappointing first season in the Bronx that saw Donaldson put up an OPS+ of 95 and a WAR of 2.3 in 132 games. The Yankees originally acquired Donaldson as part of a five-player trade with the Twins that was finalized in March of last year. Donaldson is in the final year of his four-year, $92 million contract, assuming the Yankees do not exercise their club option for 2024.
As for how the Yankees will fill the void at third base, manager Aaron Boone indicated Friday that, at least for now, the position will be filled by players already on the active roster -- to wit, a mix of D.J. LeMahieu, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Oswaldo Cabrera. Given the depths of Donaldson's early production, it's likely any of those names will offer some level of improvement.
The Yankees carry a 4-2 record on the season into the weekend road series against the Orioles.
