Josh Donaldson happy to bat leadoff if that's what Yanks want
Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson rounds third after hitting a homer against the Toronto Blue Jays during a Spring training game at TD Ballpark, Sunday, April 3, 2022, in Dunedin, Fla. Credit: Mark Taylor
DUNEDIN, Fla. — The Yankees and Aaron Boone really, really like Josh Donaldson as a leadoff option.
He’s shown why throughout spring training, with Sunday afternoon the latest example.
After working a walk to start the game against righthander Shaun Anderson, Donaldson cracked a two-run homer on a first-pitch cutter by Anderson in the third inning to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead in what turned into a 7-5 loss to the Blue Jays.
Donaldson, who was named the 2015 American League MVP while a member of the Blue Jays, finished 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs.
“I don’t really think it matters where I’m hitting,” said Donaldson, who is hitting .360 with three homers and a 1.189 OPS in nine games. “That’s just how I see it.”
That said, Donaldson does like hitting leadoff, something he’s done only seven times in his career.
“Part of [what I like] is you get to set the tone early on,” he said. “But I try to make my approach for an at-bat pretty similar no matter where I’m at.”
As far as the club he joined three weeks ago, Donaldson is enthusiastic about the start of the regular season.
“I think we’re capable of whatever it is that we want,” he said. “I’m excited to be a part of the team. You have a legit No. 1 [Gerrit Cole], we’re expecting Sevy [Luis Severino] to have a really good year . . . then to have the back end of the bullpen we do to come in and shut the door when we do get those leads. And the lineup . . . we have a strong team here. We feel really good about the pieces that have been put together here.”
Higgy bombs
Kyle Higashioka saw his hot streak stall for a day Sunday — but likely only because he wasn’t on the travel roster to face the Blue Jays.
Higashioka, set in stone as the starting catcher, had his second two-homer game of spring training Saturday, giving him a Grapefruit League-leading seven in nine games. He is hitting .478 (11-for-23) with a 1.891 OPS.
“At this point I’m in a car with no brakes. I just have to keep going,” Higashioka said with a smile Sunday morning of perhaps saving some of the power for the regular season. “If I try to stop, it’s going to crash and burn.”
Of out-powering sluggers such as Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, Higashioka said: “I think we all know what those guys can do. The season’s where it really counts, so I’m not putting too much stock into this.”
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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