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Initial frustration from Yankees fans when Paul Goldschmidt didn’t play on Wednesday night quickly became concern about a potential injury absence.
Goldschmidt tweaked his knee chasing after a pop-up in New York’s game with the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night. In Wednesday’s game, a perfect pinch-hit opportunity against a left-handed pitcher came up in the seventh inning, but New York stuck with lefty catcher Austin Wells.
Manager Aaron Boone initially hinted that a stint on the injured list could be possible. But according to Peter Botte of the New York Post, Goldschmidt brushed that possibility aside after Wednesday’s game.
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More consequentially, Botte reported Thursday evening that Goldschmidt will join the Yankees on the road to face the St. Louis Cardinals this weekend, giving him a chance to return against the team with which he won a Most Valuable Player Award.
“Paul Goldschmidt will return to St. Louis with the Yankees this weekend, but his availability against his former team remains in question,” wrote Botte.
Goldschmidt, who played in St. Louis from 2019 through the end of last season, also said Wednesday that he was hoping to make it into a game by the end of the weekend.
“I don’t need any extra motivation to try to heal. I’ll do everything I can,” Goldschmidt said, per Botte. “We want to go there and play well, and hopefully, I’ll get a chance to play there.”
The Yankees termed Goldschmidt’s injury a “low-grade knee sprain,” per Botte.
With a .753 OPS on the season and a 1.191 OPS against left-handed pitching, Goldschmidt can play a valuable role for the Yankees down the stretch, even if his playing time has decreased significantly since Giancarlo Stanton’s return from the injured list.
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