Aaron Judge and Josh Donaldson have been teammates while playing for the New York Yankees together. But Donaldson’s stint with the NY side was not a very successful one. During his time in the Bronx, he was on the Injured List most of the time. Moreover, the Yankees captain knows a thing or two about being on the Injured List. Last year saw the 2022 AL MVP suffer a toe injury that was a huge blow for the Bronx Bombers. Aaron Judge had a freak accident at the Los Angeles Dodgers fence. Since then, he has missed 35 games on the trot. As a result, the team suffered a huge loss in the absence of their only superstar slugger.
The Yankees could not make the postseason for the first time since 2016. Anyhow, the team has rebuilt their depth and balance in the offseason. And again, Aaron Judge would be their main superstar but not the only one. After all, they have Juan Soto this year. Lately, the former teammate of Aaron Judge, Josh Donaldson, announced his retirement. Josh last played in the MLB for the Milwaukee Brewers. Anyhow, Donaldson’s time in the Bronx made him face a lot of injuries as well as controversy. One such instance was when he made a racist remark. Even Aaron Judge said, “Josh didn’t do the right thing.”
Aaron Judge Didn’t Support Josh Donaldson For His Racial Remarks Toward Tim Anderson
Donaldson won an MVP in the American League in 2015. That was when he used to play for the Toronto Blue Jays. Josh had his best playing days with the Blue Jays. But his stint with the Yankees was not something that he wanted for himself. The Yankees know how to deal with players when they suffer a lot of injuries. But Donaldson made it even more difficult for himself in the Bronx when he found himself in a controversy. Initially, Josh said it was a joke. But sometimes, certain jokes are just not funny; instead, it gets too racist. One such instance was in 2022 when Donaldson hurled racial remarks at Tim Anderson of the Chicago White Sox.
Aaron Judge on the Josh Donaldson suspension:
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) May 24, 2022
"It's a tough one. Joke or not, I just don't think it's the right thing to do there, especially given the history, the series in Chicago. . … JD made a mistake, owned up to it, and now we've got to move on."
The 2015 AL MVP called Anderson, “Jackie” after the great Jackie Robinson. Josh said he made that joke because Anderson earlier compared himself to the legend. Later, Aaron Judge reacted to the incident, saying, “JD didn’t do the right thing.” Moreover, the Yankees captain mentioned that it is tough because it may be a joke and may not be. But given the history, Judge felt that was not the right thing to do. Moreover, Judge feels Josh made a mistake doing it in the series in Chicago. However, Aaron Judge also said that it is high time to move on from that incident. He said JD owned up to his mistake. Also, Josh got a suspension for a game. Hence, the AL 2022 MVP felt it was “Time to move on.”
In The End, Injuries And Controversies Led To Donaldson’s Retirement
Josh Donaldson was a pretty good third-baseman. He won the American League MVP in 2015 while playing for the Blue Jays and was an All-Star three times. However, over the previous six seasons, his career started to decline as he played for five teams. During the offseason, Josh was hoping to reunite with the Toronto Blue Jays. Last season, he played for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Prior to that, the Yankees let him go owing to injury issues and a streak of underwhelming performances. Finally, on Monday, Josh Donaldson announced his retirement on The Mayor’s Office With Sean Casey’s podcast. He drew the curtain on a 13-year-long career. But Josh is excited about the post-baseball chapter of his life with his family.
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