Yankees’ Josh Donaldson to IL with Calf Injury; Aaron Boone Says ‘It Wasn’t Great’

AP Photo/David Zalubowski

The New York Yankees have struggled to stay healthy throughout the 2023 season, and another veteran is set to miss time.

Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain. Manager Aaron Boone told reporters after Saturday’s game against the Colorado Rockies that Donaldson’s injury “wasn’t great.”

Donaldson suffered the injury during Saturday’s 6-3 victory when he tried to run out a ground ball in the seventh inning. Infielder Oswald Peraza has been recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to fill his roster spot while he’s on the IL.

The calf injury continues a disappointing run in New York for Donaldson. The 37-year-old had been sidelined by a right hamstring strain from April 5 to June 2 before making his return to the lineup. In 33 games, he’s struggled mightily at the plate with a slash line of .142/.225/.434. Out of his 15 hits on the year, 10 of them are home runs.

After being acquired in a trade from the Minnesota Twins prior to the 2022 season, Donaldson failed to produce in his first year in New York. He hit just .222/.308/.374 with 15 homers and 62 RBI in 132 games. The 14-year major-league veteran registered a career-high 148 strikeouts across his 478 plate appearances last year.

New York has been bitten by the injury bug this year. Star slugger and reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge remains out indefinitely with a toe injury. Starting pitchers Nelson Cortes and Frankie Montas are both on the 60-day IL with shoulder injuries, with Montas being sidelined for the entire year so far.

At 50-43 entering Sunday’s series finale against the Rockies, the Yankees sit in second-to-last place in the AL East. After entering the year with hopes of competing for a World Series title, it appears that New York will fall far short of expectations this season.