It took way longer than it should’ve, but the Yankees finally cut ties with third baseman Josh Donaldson nearly a month ago. Shortly after, the Milwaukee Brewers decided to sign him to a minor-league deal.
That happened a week before the Brewers were supposed to play the Yankees in the Bronx. It set up a potential homecoming for Donaldson, but it unfortunately didn’t happen because he was still in Triple-A at the time.
Donaldson has put together a solid MLB career. However, he also comes with a reputation for not exactly being a terrific clubhouse presence. His time in Minnesota with the Twins was cut short because of it. The Yankees knew the risk they were taking on with that and completed a trade for him anyway.
Surely, after getting traded to New York, being a bust, and then getting released, he’d enter his new opportunity in Milwaukee with an open and welcoming mind, right?
Not so much, according to Rowdy Tellez. He chatted with the guys from Foul Territory on Monday. Tellez detailed Donaldson’s welcome into the Brewers’ clubhouse. It went just about how you could’ve expected:
.@RowdyTellez and Josh Donaldson started trash talking right away in the Brewers clubhouse 😂
JD came in hot with the "everybody knows who I am" and "seafood diet" jokes.
Full convo ▶️ https://t.co/4Fti2u8xBc pic.twitter.com/Hjb5aSaw69
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) September 26, 2023
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Were these actually jokes? I mean, I guess that’s certainly possible. It didn’t look like Tellez was all that amused by it, though.
Donaldson has played in 12 games since joining the Brewers, accumulating 50 plate appearances. His results haven’t been drastically different than what they were in New York, but slightly better. He’s slashing .205/.300/.477 with 10 RBI and five runs scored. Of the nine hits he’s collected, six of them have gone for extra bases (three doubles, three home runs).
Milwaukee also clinched a postseason berth over the weekend. So, Donaldson will likely be experiencing October baseball while the Yankees are watching it at home on the couch. That’s a cruel bit of irony if you ask me.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
