Josh Donaldson is calling it a career.
The 38-year-old third baseman announced his retirement from MLB Monday on the Mayor’s Office podcast hosted by former Cincinnati Reds star Sean Casey.
Donaldson, who made his MLB debut in 2010, was one of the top players in the game in the mid-teens, winning the American League MVP Award with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2015. He earned MVP votes in six different seasons and was a three-time All-Star.
Unfortunately, he struggled in 2022 and 2023 on the biggest stage of his career with the New York Yankees. Expectations were high for Donaldson when he arrived in the Bronx in a March 2022 trade, but he batted just .207 in two seasons in New York. The Yankees released him in August.
“There was a time at the end of the season that I felt really good about where I was at, and wanted to try to give it one more go,” Donaldson told Casey.
“But, being home with the family, getting married — today is a sad but also happy day for me … I’ve dedicated my entire life around [baseball], and my family has. It’s sad because I won’t be able to go out there play the game that I love anymore, but it’s also a very happy time that I get to be around my family and kind of take that next chapter in life.”
MLB fans remembered Donaldson’s career, both the good and bad.
Have never hated a Yankee more than this bum. https://t.co/dXuyoTM1WX
— Not Tim Burton (@Not_Tim_Burton) March 4, 2024
JD had the worst perception of depth
Amazing he could even hit a baseball https://t.co/vzFqgINkz7— 𝕔𝕠𝕣𝕖𝕪𝕆𝔽𝕋ℍ𝔼𝕐𝔼𝔸ℝ… (@theREALWinn18) March 4, 2024