Sep 14, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers designated hitter Josh Donaldson (3) reacts after striking out in the sixth inning against the Miami Marlins at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: Miami Marlins at Milwaukee Brewers
(Milwaukee, NY) – After being released by the New York Yankees, former MVP Josh Donaldson was picked up by the Milwaukee Brewers for the stretch run.
He’s fared only nominally better than he did in pinstripes, batting .191 in 13 games across 54 plate appearances. But according to Brewers first baseman Rowdy Tellez, Donaldson’s attitude toward his new teammates has been pretty cold.
After playing together with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2018, perhaps Tellez expected a more warm reception from Donaldson, but that wasn’t to be. On the “Foul Territory” podcast, Tellez said that when Donaldson first joined the team this month and walked into the Brewer’s locker room, “he (Donaldson) came in the clubhouse and walked straight by, and I was like, ‘Hey,’ – along with a couple of other words after that – ‘when you walk in the clubhouse, you introduce yourself to your new teammates. And he goes, ‘Everybody knows who I am.’”
From there, Tellez challenged Donaldson further, who apparently attempted to comeback with a shot at his new teammate’s weight: “… I was like, ‘Yeah, hey, and when you see a former teammate, you say what’s up.’ And he was like, ‘Hey, are you on the seafood diet?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, good one … See food, eat food. Beat you to it. F–k off.’”
At 6’4”, 255 pounds, Tellez is likely no stranger when it comes to being ribbed about his size. But it’s just water under the bridge now that the team is preparing for the playoffs:
“He is playing good baseball for us, he really is,” Tellez said during his podcast appearance. “He’s having big at-bats, good at-bats, he’s great in the clubhouse for everybody. Everybody knows JD can be a little over the top, (but) ge’s been a good spark plug and helping us out as young players too. Keeping guys ready. He’s a pro, he’s been doing it a long time, he’s an MVP. You watch what he does and he’s been nothing like what you expected and what I’ve seen from the young JD.”
Milwaukee is locked in as the National League’s three seed headed into the postseason, and will host the six seed in the Wild Card round when it begins next week. As for Donaldson’s former team the Yankees, there will be no playoff baseball in the Bronx for the first time since 2016. And as the club prepares for the offseason, some are talking about how Donaldson’s tenure in the Bronx was a failure. He played solid defense at the hot corner but batted .207 with a paltry .678 OPS over 165 games.
In August, ESPN’s Jeff Passan said “I think the Donaldson trade was bad from the start because the Yankees knew just how poorly he was getting along with people in Minnesota. There was some toxicity going on there. I don’t think you can look at the Donaldson trade in any positive way.”
The Milwaukee Brewers hope Donaldson’s tenure in the Cream City is more positive, and that it culminates with the team’s first-ever World Series championship.
