Josh Donaldson to Remain Yankees 3B Next Season Despite Struggles, Brian Cashman Says

Josh Donaldson is staying.

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters Tuesday that third baseman Josh Donaldson will be on the team next season despite his struggles.

Ragazzo wrote that Cash went on to laud Donaldson's defense and said his offense is better than what he showed last season.

Cashman's comments came after the Yankees manager evaluated Donaldson's season during an appearance on The Michael Kay Show.

It was a struggle for a lot of our guys in the playoffs. We would have liked to do better on the offensive side. Josh was not the only one. He was one of the guys who was getting on base at a consistent clip in the playoffs. Getting to that big hit or swing would help him. A number of our guys did not.

Donaldson was acquired by the Yankees in a trade that sent Gary Snchez and Gio Urshela to the Twins.

He put together one of the worst offensive performances of his career as he struggled at the dish, hitting.222/.308/.372 with 15 home runs and 62RBI in 132 regular-season games. He struck out more than any other person.

The Yankees were swept by the Astros in the ALCS after finishing first in the American League East with a 99-63 record. Donaldson struck out 16 times and hit.172 in the playoffs.

The fact that Donaldson had a good season defensively with 78 putouts and 220 assists is likely to keep his job safe.

The final year of Donaldson's contract will see him make $21 million. It is reasonable to think that the Yankees will move on if he does not turn things around at the plate.