The Yankees\’ third baseman Josh Donaldson had an eventful return to Target Field as his team defeated the Minnesota Twins at their home by 10-4. It was Donaldson\’s first trip to Minnesota\’s home ground after he decided to move to New York in March. The 36-year-old said earlier that he had no regrets about his time with the Twins. Josh pointed out that he and the team did not play as he wanted after signing a free-agent deal with the franchise. However, the Minnesota crowd did not seem too happy about Donaldson\’s return as they booed every time the third baseman came out for his at-bats.
Moreover, the three-time All-Star was almost taken down by a 97 mph pitch from Trevor Megill. Luckily, he managed to get out of the way by ducking. Josh said that he had no idea if Megill pitched the ball toward him intentionally. He added, \”I was just trying to get out of the way.\”
Aaron Boone Happy With Donaldson\’s Return
The two-time Silver Slugger winner singled and walked during the game. But he is only 2-for-14 since his return from the COVID IL and a cortisone shot to his right shoulder. After his return, Donaldson stated that his shoulder felt great, and he missed being productive at the plate. Donaldson felt that his time had not been quite where he wanted it to be. He hoped to get his timing back by getting more reps.
The Yankees manager Aaron Boone was pleased that Donalson has been drawing walks and hit a game-winning run on Sunday against the Detroit Tigers. While Donaldson will hope to get his timing back, the controversy just does not seem to leave the Yankees\’ third baseman.
Earlier, Josh was accused of making racist comments against White Sox\’s Tim Anderson. In the third innings, Donaldson remarked Anderson as Jackie, referring to MLB Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson. The legendary player was the first black man to break the color stereotype in MLB in 1947. Although Josh clarified that he did not mean the comment to be racist and apologized for it, the MLB handed Josh a one-match suspension for making a racing comment against Tim Anderson. The 36-year-old is finally back on the field after missing out for a while. He will hope to continue performing for Yankees and avoid being involved in unnecessary controversies for the rest of the season. The Bombers will play the Twins tomorrow in Target Field.