Paul Goldschmidt is off to a rough start, and the New York Yankees are already trimming his chances to play. Through nine games and 29 plate appearances as of Monday morning, Goldschmidt was hitting.125/.276/.333 with one home run, three RBIs, four walks and a.609 OPS.
The veteran first baseman has also struck out eight times, a 27.6% rate that is his worst since 2011, when he had a 29.9% strikeout rate. Goldschmidt had gone hitless in his last four games, covering 13 plate appearances, and the slump has made every at-bat matter more than it would have in a crowded lineup.
The Yankees brought Goldschmidt back on a one-year contract in the offseason, signing him in February after last season’s second-half decline left some fans questioning whether he was needed at all. Ben Rice, meanwhile, had given the team a real reason to hesitate. The younger first baseman was slashing.304/.407/.696 against left-handed pitchers with three home runs in 27 plate appearances, while Goldschmidt was batting.111 with a.527 OPS in 23 plate appearances against lefties in 2026.
That split has shaped the Yankees’ playing time. Goldschmidt’s historical strength against left-handed pitching was supposed to help him earn regular work, but the club has been using him less often than expected, and there is little reason to force him in while the matchup numbers stay this lopsided.
For now, the one-year bet on Goldschmidt looks exactly like what the Yankees were trying to avoid: a veteran name on the roster without the production to match it. Unless the bat wakes up quickly, the pressure will keep building on a player who was supposed to make the position easier, not more complicated.