'Let's see what happens here': Crew calls up '15 MVP Donaldson

MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with the former American League MVP known as the “Bringer of Rain.”

Josh Donaldson, 37, will get a chance to salvage a lost season after he was called up to the big leagues on Monday, just 12 days after inking a Minor League deal with Milwaukee. The Brewers put him right to work as their starting third baseman against the Marlins with left-hander Jesús Luzardo on the mound for Miami.

“This just, in our eyes, gives us another option,” said Brewers manager Craig Counsell, who covets a power bat against left-handed pitching. “Kind of like, ‘Let’s see what happens here.’”

The Brewers picked up Donaldson after he was released by the Yankees. Sidelined for long stretches of this season by right hamstring and right calf injuries, Donaldson batted .142 in pinstripes -- but when he connected, he did damage. Ten of Donaldson’s 15 hits for the Yankees in 2023 were home runs.

It was the same story during a brief stint with Triple-A Nashville after Donaldson joined the Brewers' system. He went 3-for-17 with the Sounds, and two of the hits were homers.

“I felt like the numbers for my season didn’t probably justify what I was doing,” Donaldson said. “I felt like I was driving the ball really well this year.”

The Brewers could use some of that against lefties. Going into this four-game series against the Marlins, with at least two left-handers slated to start, the Brewers ranked 21st of 30 MLB teams with a 93 wRC+ against left-handed pitching, and 24th with a .395 slugging percentage against southpaws.

The timing of Donaldson’s arrival was doubly fortuitous, Counsell said, because leadoff man Christian Yelich remains sidelined by a flare-up of his occasionally-troublesome lower back. Yelich did some running on the treadmill Monday and reported “getting better,” but it’s completely up in the air when he will be able to return.

“Obviously, [Donaldson] has accomplished a lot in this game,” Counsell said. “He’s got to perform, there’s no question about it, but there’s a presence in the lineup when it’s a name like that.

“The other thing is for us against left-handed pitching, to add another power option is important. Another bat in the lineup with power potential is something I think we needed against left-handers. I think it helps out a lot.”

The Brewers optioned utility man Owen Miller to Nashville to clear an active roster spot for Donaldson and shifted reliever J.C. Mejía to the 60-day IL to clear a spot on the full 40-man roster. Donaldson’s arrival pushes veteran Brian Anderson even further down the depth chart -- curiously, he hadn’t played a single inning or taken an at-bat since Aug. 22 going into Monday night, not even in a lopsided game -- and also impacted rookie Andruw Monasterio, who went into the homestand hitting .320 over his last 14 games while serving as the regular third baseman.

With Donaldson at third, the Brewers shifted right-handed-hitting Monasterio to second base on Monday against the lefty in place of Brice Turang, a lefty hitter.

“Andruw’s had a good season. He’s had a good season in totality,” Counsell said. “You’re still going to see Andruw at third base.”

Donaldson indicated he was ready for “whatever is to be asked of me.”

“The fortunate thing is that when I was in New York, I felt pretty healthy the last three or four weeks that I was on the IL,” Donaldson said. “But I was on the 60-day, so I couldn’t come off at the time. I’ve been able to work and train and kind of been going full speed for a while now. Obviously there’s a little bit of shaking rust off from a game perspective, and I feel pretty good with where I’m at right now."