If Yankees reinforcements could not get any thinner, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt provided another moment of unease when he exited Monday’s spring training game after three innings for what was described as a sore back.
The former NL MVP has been dealing with the issue for the last few days, though he assured that there were “zero” concerns about his status for Opening Day next week.
“It wasn’t really any worse today,” Goldschmidt said. “It was just one of those things where, just kind of thinking you don’t want it to get worse with a week or so to go. Should be fine.”
The Yankees can ill-afford to lose anyone else on the cusp of the 2025 campaign. Their starting rotation is already thinned after Gerrit Cole underwent Tommy John surgery last week and will likely miss the entire season. Reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil will also miss at least three months because of a strained right lat.
Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is dealing with tennis elbow in both arms and, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, a chronic calf issue that is expected to sideline him until Memorial Day.
An uncertain situation at third base has also been an underlying issue throughout the spring. While none of the options have been necessarily promising, DJ LeMaheiu’s calf injury opened the door for Oswaldo Cabrera to nab the starting role at the hot corner.
Goldschmidt, 37, is preparing for his first season in the Bronx as the Yankees’ starting first baseman. Despite coming off a career-worst season with a 245 average, .716 OPS, 22 home runs, and 65 RBI. Yet he and outfielder Cody Bellinger are being tasked to help replace the offense that the Yankees lost with Juan Soto’s departure in hopes of providing proper support behind Aaron Judge.
