For the season’s first two months, the New York Yankees understandably thought they’d obtained the 2022 version of veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, the one who posted 7.7 bWAR and captured NL MVP while with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Instead, Goldschmidt has reverted to his 2023-24 form, the one that the Cardinals had no problem moving on from last offseason.
Goldschmidt went hitless in his lone at-bat Tuesday night, continuing an extended slump which began in earnest on June 1. The seven-time All-Star is hitting .212 with two homers, nine RBIs, and a .599 OPS in his last 38 games; the inconsistent Yankees are 19-19 in that stretch, and they’ve fallen to three games out in the AL East.
The 37-year-old Goldschmidt entered June batting .333 with an .874 OPS, which has since dropped to .288 and .775, respectively.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone started Ben Rice at first base on Tuesday night, and the young slugger rewarded the Yankees with a ninth-inning, go-ahead homer. Goldschmidt did not remain in the game after his seventh-inning flyout.
Will the Yankees move on from Paul Goldschmidt?
If the Yankees explore any drastic first-base moves in the coming weeks, it almost certainly won’t involve cutting Goldschmidt. Even with his recent struggles, it doesn’t make sense for the Yankees to buy out the rest of his one-year, $12.5 million contract; that’s also why moving him to the bench and re-arranging the lineup also feels unlikely.
4x Gold Glove winner, Paul Goldschmidt 👏 pic.twitter.com/Ym3tn3hxV0
— MLB (@MLB) June 25, 2025
Realistically, the Yankees’ Goldschmidt plan is simple: Boone will keep him in the lineup and hope that he starts hitting again, and the Yankees can always bench him in October if need be. That’s, of course, assuming that the 56-45 Yankees reach the postseason, though they currently have a three-game lead in the Wild Card race.
At this point, there’s no reason to believe that Goldschmidt will be back in 2026, and the Yankees arguably knew that from the moment they signed him to a one-year deal. Rice has played himself into the first base conversation, and outfielder Cody Bellinger obviously has an extensive history at first. However, Bellinger has a $25 million player option for 2026, and he may attempt to parlay his strong summer into one last significant contract.
Theoretically, Goldschmidt could ask to be traded or released, so long as he can join a team with enough time to be playoff eligible. Frustrated Yankees fans shouldn’t get their hopes up about either scenario, though, especially not with Goldschmidt on a one-year deal.
Barring a completely unexpected and uncharacteristic move, Boone and the Yankees will stick it out with Goldschmidt. We’ll see if he eventually rewards the Yankees for their patience, or if what we’re seeing is what we’re getting.