Paul Goldschmidt and 3 other unexpected lineup decisions that could decide the 2025 MLB playoffs

For the 2025 season’s first half, veteran New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt looked like he’d found the Fountain of Youth in whatever overpriced water bottles Yankee Stadium sells.

Alas, the second half brought Goldschmidt, who turned 38 on Sept. 10, back to reality in a way few would have imagined. Goldschmidt has only seven RBIs and a .650 OPS in 128 plate appearances since the All-Star Break, and has seen reduced at-bats with Ben Rice alternating between first base and catcher.

At this point, we’re admittedly not sure if Goldschmidt will make the Yankees’ postseason roster — and it’d be hard to blame Aaron Boone for giving the 2022 NL MVP’s roster spot to someone else. Boone won’t be the only manager of a playoff team (assuming that the Yankees don’t follow the crosstown Mets and collapse down the stretch) with some significant roster choices coming over the next two weeks. 

For this list, we evaluated these possible roster decisions based on injuries, the current roster alignment, and common sense. The key question is whether these managers will listen to us, but we strongly urge them to do so if they want to win the World Series.

What will Aaron Boone and the Yankees do with Paul Goldschmidt?

If this topic sounds familiar, it’s because we previously proposed that the Yankees leave shortstop Anthony Volpe, who is battling a labrum injury amid his dreadful 2025 season, off the roster entirely and ensure that Goldschmidt earns a roster place. The problem is that neither offers positional versatility, though Goldschmidt is at least hitting .361 with a 1.061 OPS against lefties.

The Yankees’ best strategy is to keep Rice at first base, even if it means sticking with the inconsistent Austin Wells at catcher. It’s not a perfect strategy, and the Yankees might need to have some difficult conversations regarding Wells this offseason, but it’ll have to work for now.

Our guess: Goldschmidt and Volpe both make the roster, so long as the latter is healthy and the Yankees feel that including him is worth the risk. However, both will come off the bench, with Goldschmidt potentially coming in as a late-inning pinch-hitter against lefties and staying in to play first.

Nick Castellanos or Max Kepler in right field for the Phillies?

It looks like age is quickly getting to Castellanos, who has posted -0.8 bWAR and a .702 OPS in his age-33 season. We wouldn’t blame Rob Thomson if he benched Castellanos for the playoffs, especially with his walk rate plummeting from 6.2% to 5.4%, well below his 6.2% average.

Kepler has seen increased action in right lately, though his .704 OPS is below league average and shouldn’t exactly frighten pitchers. At least Kepler only strikes out in 18.2% of his plate appearances, and his 10.6% walk rate marks his highest since 2022. Thomson spent enough time alongside Joe Girardi on the New York Yankees to know that all bets are off in the postseason, as Girardi proved when he benched Álex Rodríguez in the 2012 ALDS.

Our guess: Thomson rides it out with Castellanos, hoping that his strong September carries into the postseason. It’s worth mentioning that Castellanos is hitless with an RBI in two pinch-hit plate appearances, while Kepler is 3-for-21 with a homer and two RBIs off the bench. We’re not exactly encouraged by those numbers.

Is Luis Arráez a first baseman or second baseman? (Or both?)

In theory, this should be fairly easy. Veteran shortstop Xander Bogaerts is making progress in his recovery from a non-displaced fracture in his foot last week, with all sides hoping that he can return before the regular season ends next Sunday. That would slide Jake Cronenworth from shortstop to second base and put Arráez, who has career lows in average (.286) and OPS (.707) for the second-place Padres, back at first.

However, the Padres must be prepared to play Arráez at second if Bogaerts suffers a setback, either before the playoffs start or during the Wild Card Series. Unless, of course, the Padres put designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn at first base and slot Arráez into the DH spot. But Mike Shildt wouldn’t really do that, would he? 

Our guess: Shildt plays it safe: Arráez plays first, Cronenworth returns to second, and Bogaerts takes his familiar spot at shortstop. Will it help the Padres reach the NLCS for the second time in four years?

Who plays shortstop for the Phillies if Trea Turner can’t go?

It’s too early to know whether Turner, who went on the injured list last week, will be ready in time for the postseason. As of publication, Turner was still early in his recovery process to the point where he didn’t travel with the Phillies to their pivotal series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in California.

Losing Turner, who leads the NL in hitting (.305) and hits (179), would be an unquestioned blow to a Phillies team seeking its first championship since 2008. However, those extra rest days that come with a first-round bye could make all the difference, especially if Turner only gets limited at-bats ahead of the playoffs. Second baseman Bryson Stott has slid over to shortstop in Turner’s absence, with Edmundo Sosa and Weston Wilson getting in reps at second.

Our guess: Stott should see most of the action at shortstop, though we won’t be surprised to see Thomson work Sosa into the lineup. For what it’s worth, Sosa is 5-for-22 as a pinch-hitter, though he’s at least recorded seven RBIs and scored four runs. 

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