The New York Yankees have been in desperate need of reinforcements, with several players going down due to injury. The Yankees have lost Giancarlo Stanton to an ankle issue and Josh Donaldson to a suspension and injury in the last two weeks. Even star utilityman DJ LeMahieu has dealt with a sore wrist, keeping him out for a few days.
However, it was announced that the Yankees would be activating Donaldson and starting him at third base on Friday night against the Detroit Tigers. He will also bat clean-up in place of Stanton, who is expected to make a return over the weekend after being placed on the 10-day injured list.
Josh Donaldson has been activated. Starting at third and batting cleanup tonight
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) June 3, 2022
After Donaldson was suspended for one game after making a racial comment toward Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson, he has kept quiet, buying his time until a return.
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How has Donaldson performed this season?
The 36-year-old veteran is hitting .238 with five homers and 15 RBIs this season over 152 plate appearances. He also hosts a 23.7% strikeout rate and 13.2% walk rate, showcasing good patience in the batter’s box. His 35% on-base rate also stands out as a positive metric. Josh’s defensive qualities have been a net positive so far this season. Manning, the hot corner in place of Gio Urshela, who was sent to the Minnesota Twins in a trade earlier this off-season, he has recorded a .962 fielding percentage with three errors over 198.1 innings.
In his place, LeMahieu has gotten a few starts at third, and Marwin Gonzalez has mostly filled in. Given his power metrics, Donaldson is a far more effective hitter (over Marwin). He hosts a 46.8% hard-hit percentage this year with a 13.8% barrel rate.
He will be looking to provide a spark for the Yankees against the Tigers on Friday with Elvin Rodriguez on the mound, who features a 6.17 ERA over 11.2 innings pitched this season.