Aaron Boone's 'important' meeting with Josh Donaldson delays Yankees manager's pregame news conference as 3B sits again
After an "important" meeting with Yankees 3B Josh Donaldson delayed Aaron Boone's pregame news conference at Yankee Stadium, New York's manager addressed the struggling veteran's role on the team.
"He and I have had a lot of conversations -- yesterday, today," Boone said before Sunday's 1:35 p.m. rubber game against the Texas Rangers, which featured DJ LeMahieu as the starting 3B. "We're on the same page, and I'm not going to get into that much, but it was more just him and I talking and I'm sorry it spilled over but you have important conversations with guys all the time and this was one that interfered with the meeting."
Donaldson, 37, was not in the Yankees' starting lineup for the third straight game.
"Those guys are all going to play a lot," Boone said. "This was something where we're going into an off day. And with J.D., I was just wrestling with getting him back in there today with the off day or just having the full-fledged going into the off day and let it rip on Tuesday. So it was just a tough decision that I was wrestling with kind of all day yesterday, but I want to get DJ and J.D. going and Big G (Giancarlo Stanton), for that matter, rolling like we know they're capable of -- and I expect them all to play a lot."
Donaldson, who reportedly declined to speak with the media before the game but will do so afterward, entered Sunday slashing .125/.197/.406 with six home runs and eight RBI in 21 games this season.
"As playing a lot -- he's going to play a lot," Boone said when asked about what he sees Donaldson's role being.
"He's a gamer," Boone added later on, when asked if Donaldson is "unhappy about these days off."
"He always wants to play, if he's physically good. He wants in there. He wants to compete. But I also felt like here, this weekend, is the right thing to do as we head into an off day and into the trip -- just my call that I felt like this was the best move."
