Why did the Yankees release Josh Donaldson? New York parts ways with former MVP third baseman after two seasons

Josh Donaldson was working his way back for the New York Yankees, but his return will not happen. The veteran third baseman has been released. The team decided to DFA him as he was in the final year of his contract and he was the furthest thing from their future plans.

Lately, the Yankees have fallen on terribly hard times. They're effectively out of the playoffs and may end up under .500 for the first time in three decades. As a result, old players like Josh Donaldson aren't who they want to look at.

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Josh Donaldson cut by struggling Yankees

While the Yankees have struggled, they have brought up a few minor leaguers to play. Everson Pereira and Oswald Peraza have become regulars in the lineup, with Peraza taking over third base.

The Yankees haven't gotten a lot out of him, but they are committed to giving him playing time. Josh Donaldson stood in the way of that, so he is no longer with the team.

The trade to bring he and Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Minnesota Twins did not go as well as the Yankees wanted. IKF has been a solid player, proving valuable as a utility man this year.

Josh Donaldson was released

Donaldson was pretty horrible on offense, so while it got rid of Gary Sanchez and paved the way for Jose Trevino, the trade was another failure by Brian Cashman. Now, he's admitting defeat and letting the younger players play instead of continuing to try aging and failing veterans.