Josh

Donaldson

Donaldson had previously announced that 2024 would be his last season, but it appears that he will now hang up his cleats before the 2024 season kicks off. Donaldson was limited to 50 games last season and hit just .152/.249/.418 in 189 plate appearances; however, he was a three All-Star selection, two Silver Slugger Award winner, and was named the 2015 AL MVP while a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. The third baseman will end his career with a .261/.358/.489 slash line with 279 home runs, 816 runs, and 816 RBI in 1,384 games.

Donaldson isn’t 100 percent sure about playing next year; he says he wants to join a contender, and it’s not clear that any of the league’s stronger teams would want to commit to playing him regularly. Still, he’ll probably have some opportunities if he’s flexible. The soon-to-be 38-year-old was limited to 50 games last season and hit just .152/.249/.418 in 189 plate appearances.

Canha is among a handful of veteran regulars, including Christian Yelich, Carlos Santana, Willy Adames and Josh Donaldson, getting the night off after Milwaukee clinched the NL Central division title on Tuesday night. The 34-year-old veteran slugger has been outstanding since being acquired at the trade deadline from the Mets, posting an .820 OPS with five homers, 32 RBI and four steals in just 47 games.

Donaldson started the fun for the Brewers in the second inning with a 371-foot two-run blast off of Steven Okert. He drove in another run on a ground ball to the shortstop later on during the 12-run inning. The 37-year-old slugger finished the night 1-for-5. On the season, he’s slashing just .161/.247/.455 with 13 homers and 25 RBI in 143 plate appearances.

Donaldson put the Brewers on the board with a three-run homer off Zack Thompson in the first inning. It was this only hit of the day, but set the tone for the Brewers in the win. The 37-year-old third baseman is slashing .159/.248/.442 with 12 homers and 22 RBI across 157 plate appearances this season.

This is now six consecutive games with Yelich on the bench while dealing with a sore back. He is allegedly improving, but with the 31-year-old now missing a full week of games, it’s fair to wonder if the Brewers will think about putting him on the IL or should have last week. In his absence, Tyrone Taylor will play left field with Joey Wiemer in center, Josh Donaldson at DH, and Andruw Monasterio at 3B.

Donaldson served as Milwaukee’s primary offensive catalyst on Tuesday night, reaching base safely in all four of his plate appearances. The 37-year-old veteran slugger capped off the impressive effort with a go-ahead solo homer off Marlins reliever Edward Cabrera in the fourth inning. It was his 11th round-tripper of the season and first time he’s gone deep in a big league contest since July 8 when he was still with the Yankees.

Owen Miller was sent down to make room. Donaldson played in five games for Nashville, going 3-for-17 with two homers. That’s pretty much what he did for the Yankees, too; he had 10 homers but just 15 total hits in amassing a .142/.225/.434 line in 120 plate appearances. He probably won’t be a regular initially, but he should get a fair amount of time at third, with Andruw Monasterio occasionally shifting to second in place of the slumping Brice Turang.

Donaldson winds up with the Brewers just a few days after being released by the Yankees. The 37-year-old third baseman will head to Triple-A Nashville for now, but could be an option relatively soon with rookie Andruw Monasterio slumping at the dish. It’s worth noting that he would be eligible for Milwaukee’s postseason roster. It’s unclear how much he has left in the tank at this advanced stage of his career.

Andruw Monasterio was a nice surprise early on, but he hasn’t been getting the job done of late. Donaldson could soon be ready to return from his strained calf, though he’s likely going to need at least few games in the minors before perhaps helping the Brewers.