Yankees' Josh Donaldson Tweaks Stance, Cracks 2 Homers

A big day at the plate and a promising sign for the Yankees' offense.

According to Dan Martin of The New York Post, third baseman Josh Donaldson slightly tweaked his stance recently in an attempt to simplify his approach.

As a result, Donaldson crushed two home runs in the Yankees' 6-3 win over the Detroit Tigers at Steinbrenner Field on Tuesday.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he noticed Donaldson's adjustment during batting practice on Tuesday and told him, "That's it, right there."

While Boone and Donaldson would not get into the specifics of what the 37-year-old was doing differently, a National League scout, who was at the game, told Martin that there was less of a leg kick, which produced a shorter swing thus helping Donaldson be quicker to the ball.

Donaldson homered to left-center off Spencer Turnbull on a 94 mph sinker in the bottom of the fourth inning. His second long ball came in the bottom of the sixth, which was a 95 mph fastball from Will Vest, which sailed over the wall in left-center as well.

A no-doubter from JD ☔️ pic.twitter.com/udNIztfFJy
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 21, 2023

When it rains, it pours. pic.twitter.com/FyU3Ov8gSc
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 21, 2023

As Donaldson noted, his two-homer day was a result of the progress he has been making in Spring Training and the offseason work he put in.

Donaldson had a nightmare first season in the Bronx and says he has put more importance on his performance in the spring and since the offseason began.

“I think from Day 1 in the offseason, I looked to put more importance on it to make sure any issues I thought I had I was going to address.”

Although Donaldson didn't have much to show for it until Tuesday, Boone defended his third baseman and said it is totally normal for it to take some time.

“He got dinged a little bit last year,” Boone said of Donaldson. “He’s got to know that it’s still in there, because it is. He’d never had a year like that. The guy’s been an MVP and basically a stud throughout his career and by his standard had a down year last year. That’s a little shock. But I keep maintaining with him and through a scouting lens, he’s still got the tools to be a really good hitter.”

Of Donaldson's adjustments, Boone said he "cleaned some things up … and that allows him to give himself some space and be a little quicker.”

Donaldson had some good games last year, but was never able to put anything together consistently, resulting in the worst season of his career.

Entering play on Tuesday, Donaldson was 5-for-28 with one home run.

The good news is that despite his poor 2022, Donaldson had a strong offensive season for the Minnesota Twins in 2021. The Yankees are hoping he will be able to recapture this success at the plate this season and bounce-back.

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