The Milwaukee Brewers welcomed Josh Donaldson into their organization late last season after he was waived by the New York Yankees. He initially was signed to a minor league deal, but after a week and a half of action in Triple-A he was given a 40-man roster spot and ended up playing a role in the Brewers capturing the 2023 National League Central division title.
With Milwaukee in 2023 the bringer of rain appeared in 17 games, collected 10 hits including seven of them going for extra bases, and drove in 11 batters. For a team that desperately needed help against left-handed pitching as well as power he was the perfect fit.
Prior to joining the Brewers Josh Donaldson was recovering from an injury to his calf. This had caused him to miss substantial time in 2023. Historically soft tissue injuries had plagued him and significantly limited his ability to stay on the field.
Looking ahead to 2024 the former MVP, two time silver slugger, and three time All-Star will be 38 years old. He’s getting to a point in his career where hanging the cleats may be coming quickly. Recently, in an interview by Josh Wegman at The Score, he was asked about his playing future.
Milwaukee Brewers: Josh Donaldson reveals his intentions for the 2024 season.
One big question looming over Josh Donaldson is how he is feeling physically. He appeared in just 50 total games last year, but played in 132 games in 2022, 135 in 2021, and 155 in 2019. If he is good to go from a physical standpoint he could be an impact bat for any team.
“I felt like towards the end of the year, when I was able to get back out there, I felt good. I felt very energetic and excited to go out there and play. My body felt really good when I went over to Milwaukee.”
Aside from his physical health, another question is does he even want to return for a 14th season? At this time Josh Donaldson says he would like to have one more good year. After that, he would be content retiring.
“I think at the end of the day it just depends on the situation. If it’s a situation that I feel (comfortable in) then I’m definitely up for playing one more year. But I think after this upcoming season, that would be my last season no matter what. I would like to play one more year and go out on a good note and then that’d be it.”
Another factor to consider is that he would want to play for a team that has a chance of winning.
For me to believe that the team has a chance to contend, I wouldn’t say that everybody has to have the thought of that team contending. I would definitely want to feel like the team has a chance to win.
Related: Josh Donaldson not taking opportunity with the Milwaukee Brewers for granted.
Josh Donaldson is currently a free agent. Only time will tell if he signs on with a team for the 2024 season or not, but at this time it sounds like he is ready for one last hurrah.
Follow me on Twitter @tylerkoerth. Follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great sports content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!. We cover the Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers, and Wisconsin High School Sports. Additionally we provide the latest news coverage on the NFL, MLB, and NBA.
