Yankees release veteran third baseman Josh Donaldson

DETROIT – One of the worst acquisitions of Brian Cashman’s long tenure as Yankees general manager saw his career in pinstripes come to an end Tuesday with the announcement the club had released veteran third baseman Josh Donaldson.

Donaldson, acquired in spring training 2022 along with Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt from the Twins in exchange for Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela, had been on the 60-day injured list since July 16 with a right calf strain.

But he was healing quickly and was closing in on a rehab assignment and the Yankees had no interest in having the 37-year-old back on the roster even for the final couple of weeks of the season because their intent the rest of the way is to evaluate some of their young talent.

And that wasn’t the only move of the day. The Yankees, according to multiple sources, also put centerfielder Harrison Bader, due to hit free agency after the season, on waivers. Teams have until Thursday to claim any player put on waivers, those clubs responsible only for paying the final month of the claimed player’s salary. Claims are awarded in reverse order of a team’s winning percentage as of Thursday.

Bader, in the lineup Tuesday night, came into the day hitting .242 with seven home runs, 37 RBIs and a .649 OPS in 82 games. Bader, acquired at the 2022 trade deadline in exchange for Jordan Montgomery, has slumped horribly of late, hitting .130 with a .338 OPS in his previous 17 games.

“Regardless of what happened, or might happen, getting the opportunity to play in this uniform, and I hopefully do get the opportunity to play in this uniform, just everything that’s happened has been an absolute blessing and an absolute gift,” Bader said after going 0-for-4 Tuesday. “I’m a New York City kid and I never in a million years thought I’d play in the big leagues, let alone for the New York Yankees. I’ve loved every second of it.”

Donaldson, in the final year of a four-year, $92 million deal, hit .142 with 10 homers and a .659 OPS in 34 games this season. In two forgettable seasons in the Bronx, Donaldson, the most unpopular Yankee among the fanbase the last two years not named Aaron Hicks, hit .207 with 25 homers, 180 strikeouts and a .678 OPS in 666 plate appearances.

“I’d like to say thank you to everyone for the love and support over the years!!,” Donaldson posted on X (previously Twitter) shortly after the Yankees made the announcement.  “I’ve had the opportunity to play with some great teammates and organizations. I wish nothing but the best to the New York Yankees.”

Donaldson, when healthy, was good in the field, and sometimes very good, particularly in 2022.

Still, the deal for the three-time All-Star who won the 2015 AL MVP while with the Blue Jays, was questioned almost from the start – from inside and outside of the Yankees’ organization.

There were, of course, concerns about Donaldson trending downward as a player in his mid-30s, having hit .247, though with 26 homers and an .847 OPS in 2021 while with Minnesota. His last All-Star appearance was in 2016.

Donaldson also came to the Yankees with a reputation as being a difficult clubhouse presence – he had issues in the Twins and Blue Jays clubhouses, for example.

But that never really became an issue with the Yankees, who already had strong clubhouse leaders in Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton. So even Donaldson’s one-game suspension for what Major League Baseball called his “inappropriate” comments to White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson didn’t create much of a problem.   

Donaldson twice called Anderson “Jackie” during a May 21 game last year, touching off a benches-clearing incident. Donaldson said he was referring to a 2019 Sports Illustrated interview in which Anderson said that he felt like “today’s Jackie Robinson.”

It didn’t necessarily go over well in the clubhouse but was quickly controlled and put on the backburner (though some players were private irked at Donaldson’s non-apology apology afterward).

And, in the end, the hyper-competitive Donaldson’s work ethic and desire to win were never in question.

Aaron Boone said before Tuesday's game: “The fact that it didn’t work out how we all would have hoped or expected, doesn’t change who he is in this game and how much he cares about his craft and how much he pours into it.”