The New York Yankees made a decision on slugger Paul Goldschmidt during their series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
New York had Goldschmidt leading off on Friday in the series opener, but in the second game of the series, the slugger isn’t in the lineup. He went 1-for-4 but struck out twice in New York’s 3-1 win on Friday.
The Yankees lineup against Dylan Cease on Saturday is as follows:
- T. Grisham CF
- B. Rice DH
- H. Ramos LF
- L. García Jr. 1B
- S. Jones RF
- G. Lombard Jr. SS
- J. Chisholm Jr. 2B
- A. Wells C
- J. Caballero 3B
The Yankees have Luis Garcia Jr. playing first base, while Ben Rice is at DH, which is why Goldschmidt isn’t in the lineup.
Goldschmidt signed a one-year, $4 million deal to return to the Yankees this offseason. He’s hitting .247 with 16 home runs and 44 RBIs, but has become more of a bench/platoon bat for the Yankees with Rice and Garcia handling first base.
First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m. ET.
Goldschmidt Wanted to Return to Yankees
Although Goldschmidt’s re-signed with the Yankees this offseason, he wasn’t guaranteed any role.
Instead, the former NL MVP said he enjoyed his time with the Yankees and wanted to be back with the group to try and win a World Series.
“I don’t think there was a sales pitch,” Goldschmidt said. “I just loved these guys, I enjoyed even the times last year when I wasn’t playing, and that’s not always the case. Even the beginning of this year, I wasn’t playing that much, but I was still having so much fun showing up every day with these guys.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone, meanwhile, knew the Goldschmidt signing would be important as he can be a veteran leader.
“You’re going to have attrition throughout the course of the year,” Boone said. “You’re going to get banged up over the course of the year, and our confidence in his ability to still really kill lefties is there — plus just who he is in the room and who he is on the team. I was thrilled when we got it done.”
Goldschmidt is a seven-time MLB All-Star.
New York Right Now
New York is holding onto the top Wild Card spot and trying to chase down the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Yankees are 73-55 and are 3 games back of the Rays for the top spot in the AL East. New York is coming off a win over the Blue Jays and will look to win the series on Saturday.
The Yankees are in the midst of a 10-game homestand; after the three-game series against the Blue Jays, New York hosts the Houston Astros for three games and the Boston Red Sox for four.
New York will start Ryan Weathers on Saturday against the Blue Jays, while Carlos Rodon gets the start on Sunday.
Yankees Make Paul Goldschmidt Decision During Blue Jays Series