New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson is expected to miss a few more weeks after a new MRI revealed a "Grade 1-plus" hamstring strain, manager Aaron Boone announced Friday, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. Donaldson has already been sidelined by the injury for more than two weeks, having last played on April 5.
Donaldson, 37, had appeared in five games this season prior to hurting himself. In 17 trips to the plate, he'd hit .125/.176/.313 (35 OPS+) with one home run. This is his second season with the Yankees, having originally joined the club as part of the trade that also fetched Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt from the Minnesota Twins. (The Yankees, in turn, sent out Gary Sánchez and Gio Urshela.) Donaldson did not perform up to his usual standards last year, hitting for his lowest OPS+ (94) since the 2012 season.
With Donaldson unavailable, the Yankees have largely turned the hot corner over to veteran DJ LeMahieu. He's started 10 times at third, with Kiner-Falefa and Oswaldo Cabrera combining to make four starts. LeMahieu has hit .250/.344/.482 (130 OPS+) in his first 64 plate appearances.
The Yankees entered Friday with a 12-7 record, good for second place in the American League East. They trail the Tampa Bay Rays by four games. The Yankees will play three games this weekend against the Toronto Blue Jays.
