Paul Goldschmidt Sitting In Finale Against Arizona
New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is getting the day off on Thursday for the series finale against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks at Yankee Stadium. Ben Rice is getting the start at first base and is hitting leadoff against D-backs right-hander Merrill Kelly. Goldy will take his first day off of the year after hitting atop New York's batting order the last four games. The 37-year-old former National League MVP has gotten off to a .250 batting average (5-for-20) with a homer, double, two RBI, one walk and six strikeouts in five games played. The seven-time All-Star showed plenty of signs of decline his last two years in St. Louis, but he could be a bit more intriguing as a bounce-back candidate if he continues to hit atop the Yankees' batting order. Rice will be a popular DFS play on Thursday in the leadoff spot after going 5-for-13 with two homers, a double and two RBI in his first five games in 2025.
New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is batting leadoff again on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks and right-hander Corbin Burnes. It will be Goldschmidt's third time leading off in the early going in five games played. In his first game at leadoff on Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers, the 37-year-old right-handed slugger hit the first pitch he saw out of the park and set the stage for the Yankees to set a new MLB record by homering three straight times on only three pitches to begin a game. He will now hit leadoff for the third straight game against a right-hander, and the Yanks don't really have any reason to change their lineup up after scoring 32 runs in the games that Goldy has hit leadoff. He's gone 5-for-12 with a homer, double and two RBI in three games and has hit .323 with an .834 OPS, a homer and two RBI in 31 career at-bats against Burnes.
New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is starting at first base and batting leadoff for the team's second game of the regular season on Saturday at Yankee Stadium against the Milwaukee Brewers and left-hander Nestor Cortes. Catcher Austin Wells was the team's leadoff hitter on Opening Day against Milwaukee on Thursday, but Goldy will sit atop the order on Saturday with a lefty on the mound. Outfielder Jasson Dominguez is at designated hitter, which will push the lefty-hitting Ben Rice to the bench with a southpaw starting. Goldschmidt went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts on Opening Day in his Yankees debut. The 37-year-old veteran has shown obvious signs of decline as a hitter the last few seasons before coming to the Bronx, although there is bounce-back potential with the Yankees, and hitting leadoff against lefties will help. Goldy has one hit in four career at-bats against Cortes.
Paul Goldschmidt Returns To The Lineup On Saturday
New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (back) will return to the lineup on Saturday for the team's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. The veteran was pulled from a game on March 17 due to back soreness but the team was hopeful he'd return this weekend. The 37-year-old will lead off for the Yankees on Saturday, a role he could see regularly this season when the team faces left-handed pitching according to manager Aaron Boone. The Phillies will deploy left-handed pitcher Jesus Luzardo on Saturday. The 7x All-Star owns a career .323/.423/.586 slash line against LHP, compared to a .279/.368/.488 against RHP. The former MVP has seen a dwindling batting average and power numbers the last couple of seasons with a corresponding increase in strikeout and chase rate but has been solid this spring, slashing .313/.389/.688 with three home runs. He's still a viable fantasy option as long as he's healthy and is expected to be ready for Opening Day at this point, although the days of being an elite producer are likely over.
New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (back), who was previously expected to return to Grapefruit League action on Friday, said he now plans to return on Saturday. Goldschmidt's back is close to 100 percent, and he's not concerned about missing Opening Day next Thursday. As long as Goldy returns this weekend and doesn't have a setback with his back, fantasy managers with drafts early next week should feel comfortable taking him as a source of power as a corner infielder in mixed leagues. The 37-year-old former MVP is highly unlikely to return to the form he showed in St. Louis several seasons ago, but he could be in for a decent bounce-back campaign in the Bronx in 2025 if he can stay healthy. However, a back injury at the end of spring training and the fact that his strikeout and walk rates were both career-worst marks clearly show an aging slugger.
Yankees Hope Paul Goldschmidt Will Return To Spring Game On Friday
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Friday is the target for first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (back) to return to a Grapefruit League game against the Detroit Tigers. He will go through baseball activities in camp on Thursday. Goldy has been dealing with a tight back this week, but it's not believed to be anything serious, and as long as he doesn't have a setback this weekend in his return to game action, he should be ready to roll next Thursday for Opening Day. After two straight seasons of a decline offensively, fantasy managers that have already rolled the dice on the 37-year-old former MVP have to be pleased by him going 10-for-32 with three home runs and 10 RBI in 13 Grapefruit League games to this point. Goldy may no longer be an elite fantasy first baseman, but if he stays healthy in 2025, he could easily bounce back in the Bronx.
Paul Goldschmidt Expected To Return Later This Week
The New York Yankees will give first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (back) as much time as he needs, but manager Aaron Boone expects him to return to a Grapefruit League game on Thursday or Friday. A sore back caused Goldschmidt to be pulled early from Monday's spring training game against the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays, but it appears it was just a precaution and that the 37-year-old veteran will be fine for Opening Day next Thursday as long as he doesn't have a setback with his back this weekend when he returns to game action. A back ailment with just over a week until Opening Day isn't what fantasy managers want to hear from an aging slugger that has shown signs of decline since winning the National League MVP award in 2022. The seven-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger winner had a career-high strikeout rate and career-low walk rate in 2024, although he could bounce back somewhat in the Bronx if he can stay healthy.
Paul Goldschmidt Pulled On Monday With Back Soreness
New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (back) was pulled from Monday's Grapefruit League game early against the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays with back soreness, according to The Athletic's Chris Kirschner. Goldschmidt told reporters that he's been dealing with a sore back for a few days and he's not concerned about missing Opening Day next Thursday. The 37-year-old veteran went 0-for-1 with a walk before leaving Monday's game. He should be considered day-to-day for now, but if Goldy is unable to return after a few days, he could be forced to open the season on the injured list as a precaution. The seven-time All-Star and former MVP had another down year in 2024 with the Cardinals but came into Monday's spring game with a .323 average, three home runs and 10 RBI in 12 Grapefruit League games. He could bounce back in the Bronx, but it's also possible Goldy will continue to decline.
Paul Goldschmidt To Play In Spring Opener On Friday
MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reports that New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt will start in the team's Grapefruit League opener on Friday against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays. In addition to Goldy, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Anthony Volpe, Jasson Dominguez and Cody Bellinger are scheduled to play. After seeing a notable decline in his offensive skills the last couple years with the St. Louis Cardinals, Goldschmidt signed a one-year, $12.5 million deal with the Yankees and will be their primary first baseman in 2025. The 37-year-old former MVP had 35 homers in 2022 before dropping to 25 in 2023 and 22 last year. He had career-worst marks in strikeout rate (26.5%) and walk rate (7.2%), but a hard-hit rate just below 50% shows that he could bounce back in a better situation in the Bronx this year. RotoBaller has Goldy ranked as the No. 15 fantasy first baseman.
Paul Goldschmidt Agrees With Yankees On One-Year Deal
Free-agent first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and the New York Yankees agreed on a one-year, $12.5 million deal on Saturday, pending a physical, according to a source. Goldschmidt was also receiving interest from the Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and New York Mets, but he'll instead head to the Bronx and replace Anthony Rizzo as the club's regular first baseman in 2025. The 37-year-old right-handed slugger has been an All-Star seven times and was the National League MVP in 2022 with the St. Louis Cardinals, but he declined significantly on offense in 2024 with a .245/.302/.414 slash line with a career-worst .716 OPS and 22 home runs in 154 games. Although Goldy was better in the second half, it's concerning that his strikeout rate rose to a career-high 26.5% while his walk rate was at a career-low 7.2%. There could be some juice left, and New York isn't a bad landing spot.
Paul Goldschmidt
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Yankees
