Aaron Boone revealed to the media last night that the Yankees‘ decision to not put Paul Goldschmidt in the game to face a left-handed reliever is related to an injury.
When running to second base following a double, Goldschmidt was moving gingerly to second base, and it’s tied to a knee issue that could cause him to be placed on the injured list.
It’s been a struggle for Goldschmidt lately, but his .404 batting average and 1.191 OPS against LHP make him beyond valuable as a short-side platoon bat.
The Yankees have limited options to call-up in order to replace Goldschmidt, as they’re going to be a bat short in matchups versus lefties.
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Another Key Right-Handed Bat Could Miss Time For the Yankees
With a 108 wRC+ and .747 OPS on the season, Paul Goldschmidt has provided above-average offense and solid defense at first base, which is what the Yankees hoped for when they acquired him.
His sharp platoon splits make him better-suited for a part-time role, and while the Yankees won’t feel his loss against RHP, they absolutely will against LHP.
The loss of Amed Rosario to a minor injury and Austin Slater to a serious hamstring injury will leave the team without three right-handed hitters who excel against lefties.
Brian Cashman made it a point to improve the team’s offense against southpaws, and now they’re going to be three hitters short in those matchups.
With the Yankees now dealing with an injury bug in its position player room, they find themselves in a bit of a predicament as thet try and line up against tough lefties.
They could match up with Garrett Crochet in next week’s matchup against Boston, and those are the games where you absolutely need to have right-handed hitting depth.
It’ll require some left-handed hitters to step up in these games, and for the Yankees, they’ll be short-handed and have to turn to their Triple-A squad to look for bench depth.
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