Back on April 20th, Darnell McDonald became the latest folk hero for the Boston Red Sox when he hit a 2-run homer and then had the walk-off single to help them to a 7-6 come-from-behind win over the Texas Rangers. The team had been struggling then and anything they could get from McDonald was gravy at that point.
But with Jacoby Ellsbury back and now Mike Cameron being activated from the disabled list on Tuesday, there was just no spot on the Red Sox roster for McDonald as he was designated for assignment after Monday’s win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Here’s what Red Sox skipper Terry Francona said about the move after the game to NESN’s Heidi Watney:
We’re obviously very excited to activate Cam but we had to designate Darnell for assignment which we didn’t want to do. And we told him flat out that it wasn’t anything he did. He played…did a lot for us. For his sake we hope I gets claimed, for our sake I hope he doesn’t. We love having him here but he deserves to be in the big leagues.
In 31 games, McDonald hit .263 with three home runs, 11 RBIs and two stolen bases. He had an OBP of .320 and SLG% of .400.
And to reminisce, let’s take a look at both videos from a night McDonald will never forgot.
Walkoff single:
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Two-run homer:
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