Today’s Yankee loss to the Toronto Blue Jays was a snooze fest, but below the surface there were at least two interesting decisions. First, it was a bullpen game, yet Paul Goldschmidt, who would give them a right-handed hitter to stop the Blue Jays from stacking left-handed relievers, was not in the lineup. Even stranger, with two outs in the 9th inning against a tough left-handed pitcher, Luis Garcia Jr. was not lifted for Paul Goldschmidt. So, as an avid critic of Paul Goldschmidt (I wrote about how they shouldn’t have re-signed him, and then about how they should consider cutting him early in the season), it’s time to ask: are the Yankees about to dump him?
Mark, you are just a Goldschmidt hater
I hear this a lot. People love looking at the overall slash lines of players. For example, in 2025, Goldschmidt hit .274/.328/.403. That is good. And this year, due to more home runs, it’s .247/.308/.450. Again, that is above average, coupled with a good glove. But as we will see, you have to look below the hood to see that not everything that glitters is gold…
Goldschmidt can’t hit right-handed pitchers
In 2025, Goldschmidt mashed left-handed pitchers, but against right-handed pitchers he had a slash line of .247/.289/.329, which is bad (note: this isn’t 1987 and people don’t just look at batting averages anymore). It is basically what you expect from a light-hitting shortstop. Well, compared to 2026, that would be an upgrade! Goldschmidt is slashing a pathetic .199/.229/.345 against right-handed pitchers this season. That .574 OPS is the lowest on the team against right-handed pitchers (Jasson Dominguez was close, and it got him sent down). Even more alarming, he has only 7 walks as opposed to 49 strikeouts against right-handed pitchers in 178 plate appearances, which shows a complete lack of plate discipline.
Goldschmidt can’t hit anyone of late
In 2025, Goldschmidt got off to a hot start, but he hit a wall sometime in June and finished the season with 4 HRs and 17 RBIs over his last 279 at-bats, which is awful. True to form, Goldschmidt has hit that wall again, beginning on June 26th (he had something of a resurgence right after Aaron Judge got hurt, kind of like in Trading Places). Since that date, he is 15-for-104 despite being used more often against left-handed pitchers. During this period, he has only two home runs and ridiculously only 3 RBIs. He also has 8 walks compared to 35 strikeouts. It is like 2025, but much worse with this sequel.
It is a Numbers game
Ultimately, every roster spot is precious. Right now, there is a spot for Paul Goldschmidt as a starter against left-handed pitchers and a pinch hitter, but only if the left-handed pitcher can’t be removed. At some point, Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton will return. At that point, one has to ask why the Yankees need three first basemen? Ben Rice is slumping, but he is still a much more productive player than Goldschmidt. Luis Garcia Jr. was brought to the Yankees because they realized Goldschmidt as an everyday player wasn’t working. At some point, the Yankees have to ask themselves if it is worth dedicating a roster spot to a guy who plays one position, and it is not catcher. They had a similar choice to make with Anthony Volpe, and they sent him packing. Pretty soon we might see the same happen to Goldschmidt (much to the chagrin of Yankees fans who, for some reason, treat him like he led the Yankees to multiple World Series wins).
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