Yankees waive Harrison Bader and release Josh Donaldson as New York begins September in LAST PLACE
The Yankees waive Harrison Bader and release Josh Donaldson as New York starts September in LAST PLACE
- The Yankees gave up on the Josh Donaldson experiment after two poor seasons
- Later in the day, they waived their struggling outfielder Harrison Bader
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With Major League Baseball rosters about to expand, the New York Yankees decided to cut ties with two players as they endured one of the worst seasons in franchise history.
New York opened third baseman Josh Donaldson in the afternoon, after appearing in only 33 games this season.
Later in the afternoon, they made the shock choice to put midfielder Harrison Bader on an exemption.
While one decision marks the end of a very disappointing period in pinstripes, the other was much more surprising.
Donaldson was coming off a tough 2022 season, finishing with a .222/.308/.374 slash.
The New York Yankees released third baseman Josh Donaldson Tuesday afternoon
Hours later, the Yankees placed center fielder Harrison Bader on waivers
But this season was even better: the former American League MVP hit ten home runs while beating .142/.225/.434 in 33 games.
Donaldson arrived in New York in a trade with the Minnesota Twins in 2022. He arrived with Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt as the Yankees returned Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela.
But Donaldson never really came out in New York, battling injuries all the time and falling short of expectations.
On the other hand, Bader performed much better for the Bronx Bombers.
Bader, who grew up just minutes away from Yankee Stadium in the Westchester County suburb of Bronxville, joined the Yankees on trade deadline last season from St. Louis.
After entering the 2023 season on injury reserve, Bader hit seven home runs in 281 at-bats in 82 games. He lowered .242/.279/.370 this season.
The Yankees have been truly terrible this season, with the team falling off the rails since batter Aaron Judge went down with a long-term injury.
Outsiders are starting to notice this too; former All-Star Bret Boone, brother of Yankees manager Aaron Boone, points out the obvious flaws.
Manager Aaron Boone stares down another month into the season, with the Yankees in last place in the AL East. The Yankees are eleven games away from the final Wild Card spot.
“I watch that team daily, and with all due respect to (Anthony) Volpe, I think he’s going to be a really good player — if he gets fifth for the New York Yankees, you’re in trouble,” said Bret Boone.
“And I think Aaron has to deal with that. And I think Aaron did a great job. And I’ll tell you, sometimes I have to take my brother’s hat off. But you have to be honest. I am also honest with him.
“The players love Aaron Boone. He backs them up to a fault. He loves his team. He loves his players. He’s one of the most passionate men I’ve ever met.’