Josh Donaldson Released by Yankees; Former AL MVP Hitting .142 in 2023

After an overwhelmingly disappointing performance over the past year-and-a-half, Josh Donaldson's time with the New York Yankees has come to an end.

The Yankees announced Tuesday that they released the 2015 American League MVP. Donaldson hit only .142 in 33 games played this season.

According to SNY's Andy Martino, the team released Donaldson to give him a chance to potentially play in the postseason.

Donaldson has not played since he suffered a Grade 3 calf strain while running out a ground ball during a game against the Colorado Rockies last month. He was placed on the 60-day injured list, which ruled him out until at least mid-September. He had also missed two months near the start of the season because of a hamstring strain.

Per Martino, Donaldson told the Yankees that he would be able to play in September, as his calf is "feeling better."

The 37-year-old was in the last year of a four-year, $92 million deal that he signed with Minnesota, which earned him $21 million for this season.

The Yankees acquired Donaldson along with shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and backup catcher Ben Rortvedt in a trade with the Minnesota Twins prior to the 2022 season in exchange for catcher Gary Sánchez and third baseman Gio Urshela.

In his first year in New York, Donaldson hit just .222/.308/.374 with 15 homers and 62 RBI in 132 games while also posting a career-high 148 strikeouts. In addition to his abysmal batting average this season, 10 out of his 15 hits were home runs, and he totaled 15 RBI with 12 walks and 32 strikeouts.

Donaldson's subpar performance that culminated with his release is just a microcosm of a disastrous season for the Yankees. They sit in last place in the AL East with a 63-68 record, and they look well on their way to their first losing season since 1992.

New York will play its second game of its four-game series against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night.