What happened to Josh Donaldson? New York Yankee exits game after 3rd inning

Josh Donaldson's tenure with the New York Yankees has not been one to write home about. The former American League MVP has struggled to produce anywhere near the level he had earlier in his career. The third baseman has now suffered yet another blow to his time with the "Bronx Bombers."

The veteran third baseman exited Wednesday's matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies with an apparent hamstring injury. While leading off the second inning, Donaldson flew out to right field on a rather routine play. However, while jogging to first base, the 37-year-old came up limping before reaching the base.

Donaldson's struggles from last season have continued this year. So far, the former MVP has batted .133 with a home run and an RBI in 15 at-bats. It is never easy to watch former superstars decline towards the end of their careers, which appears to be the case for Donaldson.

"Josh Donaldson pulled up lame and IKF has replaced him at third base" - Talkin' Yanks

Once known as "The Bringer of Rain," Donaldson now finds himself as a black cloud hovering over the New York Yankees lineup. Last season, he finished with a paltry .222 batting average, while also hitting 15 home runs, along with 62 RBIs. His .682 OPS was the worst of his career, a far cry from the .939 he reached in 2015. He also posted the second-most strikeouts of his career with 148.

While no one wants to see any athlete go down with an injury, New York Yankees fans are a little different than most fan bases. Some fans elected to joyfully go on Twitter, gleefully looking forward to him potentially missing time.

"Oh Damn 38 Year old 21 million dollar Josh Donaldson just left the game hurt! Now the Yankees have to replace him with either the Gold Glover with two batting titles, or the Gold Glover who had over double his defensive WAR last year… sucks. Wait. Why was he starting?" - Jared McInnis

Following the injury, Isiah Kiner-Falefa entered the game as a replacement. If Donaldson is to miss an extended period of time, IKF could find himself in an expanded role.

Josh Donaldson's 2015 American League MVP season

Donaldson was a force to be reckoned with for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2015. The three-time All-Star finished the 2015 season with a career-high 41 home runs, 123 RBIs, and an excellent .297 batting average en route to his only MVP award. With this form well in rearview, Josh Donaldson fans will quickly enter the nostalgia phase looking back on this portion of his career.