Paul

Goldschmidt

Goldschmidt has three homers in his last nine games. Things might get crowded again once Giancarlo Stanton comes off the injured list, but for now, Goldschmidt is well worth using in mixed leagues.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone didn’t have an update while speaking to reporters prior to Wednesday’s game. This hardly qualifies as a surprise with Judge scheduled to see a specialist on Wednesday to evaluate the bone bruise in his rib cage that has led to shoulder soreness for a couple weeks. There should be some much-needed clarity on his status, including whether he’ll require a trip to the injured list. José Caballero will start in right field again with Ryan McMahon at third base and Paul Goldschmidt at designated hitter.

Goldschmidt had a two-run homer in the third and a two-run single in the fourth. He’s hitting .276/.364/.534 with seven homers and 23 RBI in 132 plate appearances, so the Yankees haven’t really missed Giancarlo Stanton in the middle of the lineup.

Goldschmidt turned a 1-0 lead into a 4-0 cushion in the first inning with a three-run blast off Luis Severino. The former star first baseman is nowhere close to the player he was when he was consistently challenging for MVP votes, but he has homered six times in the first two months with a very solid slash of .262/.356/.515 to go with them.

Goldschmidt’s home run was his fifth of the season. He hit a solo shot in the first inning off Patrick Corbin. Goldschmidt continues to produce in his role as a short side platoon first baseman, though this role has minimal value for fantasy purposes.

Goldschmidt hit his fourth home run of season in the first inning against Trevor Rogers. The 38-year-old first baseman is excelling in a platoon role as three of his four home runs have come against left-handed pitching. He should see more at-bats against right-handed pitching with Giancarlo Stanton out as long as he continues producing. Goldschmidt has a pulse in AL-Only leagues now.

Paul Goldschmidt is at first base and leading off against Orioles lefty Trevor Rogers. Rice continues to see frequent opportunities against southpaws after taking a seat routinely against them earlier this season. The 27-year-old rising star launched his 13th round-tripper of the season during Monday’s series opener and has been one of the top power-hitters in baseball this year.

Goldschmidt homered off Kyle Harrison to open the top of the first and kept going from there. He’s at .236/.333/.509 in 63 plate appearances, and he probably should be in line for more playing time with Giancarlo Stanton out, even if it means a lesser role for Spencer Jones.

At this point, you do have to wonder if the Yankees will consider putting Rice on the injured list. For now, they will continue playing short a hitter. Paul Goldschmidt is starting at first base and leading off on Thursday.

There’s been no indication that Rice is headed to the injured list as he continues to receive treatment for a left hand bruise that he suffered over the weekend. There should be a clearer picture regarding his availability leading into Thursday’s series finale. It’s possible the Yankees are merely handling the situation with an abundance of caution to make sure Rice, who is rapidly blossoming into one of the elite sluggers in baseball, is fully healthy before he returns to the lineup. It’ll be veteran Paul Goldschmidt taking over at first base to face Rangers ace Nathan Eovaldi on Wednesday night.