Yankees' Josh Donaldson Placed on COVID-19 List Ahead of Orioles Series

The New York Yankees are short-handed heading into a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles that starts Monday.

Manager Aaron Boone told reporters that third baseman Josh Donaldson was placed on the COVID-19 list ahead of Monday's contest. Donaldson played in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox and went 0-for-4.

Donaldson has been in recent headlines for a comment he made to White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson during New York's previous series.

Anderson was not pleased with Donaldson calling him "Jackie" in reference to Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball's color barrier. White Sox manager Tony La Russa told reporters it was a "racist" comment, and Anderson agreed.

"He just made a disrespectful comment," Anderson said. "Basically he was trying to call me Jackie Robinson. 'What's up, Jackie?' I don't play like that. I don't really play at all. I wasn't really going to bother nobody today, but he made the comment and you know it was disrespectful and I don't think it was called for. It was unnecessary."

Donaldson said he has "joked around" with Anderson in the past about the shortstop's 2019 Sports Illustrated interview in which he said he felt like "today's Jackie Robinson" because he was "getting to a point where I need to change the game."

Major League Baseball announced the Yankees third baseman was suspended one game and fined an undisclosed amount. He is appealing the punishment.

Donaldson has appeared in 37 games for New York this season and is slashing .238/.349/.415 with five home runs and 15 RBI. It is a far cry from his production in 2015 when he was the American League MVP on the Toronto Blue Jays with 41 home runs and 123 RBI.

The Yankees are 29-12 on the season and five games ahead of the Blue Jays for first place in the American League East.

Marwin Gonzalez is starting Monday's game at third base for the Bronx Bombers in place of Donaldson.