The Yankees are not in panic mode after losing two out of three to the Giants this weekend. That does not mean they won't be desperate to win their upcoming series against the Royals. Paul Goldschmidt could be the key for New York getting off to a good start against Kansas City.
The team's veteran first baseman will be salivating at the prospect of going against Royals' starter Seth Lugo in the series opener. He has seven hits in 11 career at-bats against the veteran right-hander. Just as importantly, two of those 11 hits have left the yard. Continuing that trend would bode well for the chances of the Yankees notching an important early season victory on Monday night.
The downside for New York is that Goldschmidt has seven of the likely starting lineup's 13 career hits against Lugo. Goldschmidt is one of three Yankees who have at least 11 careet at-bats against him. Interestingly, Aaron Judge is a member of that trio and has yet to record a hit or walk in all of those opportunities.
Paul Goldschmidt is ready to hammer Seth Lugo
Enjoying success against Lugo would only be a natural continuation of Goldschmidt's early season effort for his new team. He will come into Monday night's contest sporting a .357 batting average through his first 15 games. His power numbers are slightly below what might have been expected from him coming into the year but it's reasonable to expect those numbers to improve as the weather starts to warm in the northeast.
His age only allows Goldschmidt to be a short-term fix at first base for the Yankees but he's giving manager Aaron Boone way more production than he got from the position last year. Anthony Rizzo was one of the worst regular starters in baseball before injuries put him on the bench. Ben Rice showed flashes of offensive ability but was unable to hit with any consistency. GM Brian Cashman correctly understand that improving the production at first would be one of the team's easiest wins of the offseason.
Goldschmidt's role with the team could be reduced if and when Giancarlo Stanton returns to the lineup as Boone's designated hitter. Rice is currently occupying that spot and is also enjoying an extremely hot start to his 2025 campaign. It's easy to envision a scenario where Rice and Goldschmidt split some at-bats at first base if Stanton shows he's ready to reclaim his place in the middle of the team's batting order.
That sort of rest might be good for Goldschmidt since he's playing his age-37 season. First base might not be the most physically demanding spot on the diamond but keeping Goldschmidt fresh for the postseason should be a top priority for the organization. Playing 100 games seems like a nice workload for the veteran while expecting him to play 140 seems like a total that would expose him to serious injury or age-related regression.
An underrated plus of having Goldschmidt in the clubhouse is that he can serve as a mentor to the team's younger players. His tutelage of Rice's defense at first could really help advance the youngster's development. Remember, Rice came up through the minors as a catcher and only started to play first base out of necessity last season. Learning the intricacies of the position from Goldschmidt could help him improve his glove work at a rapid rate.
No matter what Goldschmidt's future holds, the Yankees need him to be a big part of their 2025 season. Continuing to tee off against Lugo would help him improve on his hot offensive start wtih the team. Boone should expect big things from his high-priced veteran against the Royals on Monday night.