Paul Goldschmidt Slumps to .125 in Nine Games for Yankees

paul goldschmidt has opened April at.125/.276/.333 through nine games, and the Yankees are already weighing how often they can keep him in the lineup. He has one home run, three RBIs and four walks in 29 plate appearances, but the bat has not matched the role they expected from their one-year contract.

Goldschmidt’s April Start

Goldschmidt has gone hitless in his last four games, covering 13 plate appearances, which has pushed his season line to a.609 OPS. The slump also includes eight strikeouts and a 27.6% strikeout rate, his worst mark since 2011, when he struck out 29.9% of the time.

The Yankees brought him back this past offseason, and the move drew attention because Ben Rice was viewed as ready to break out after Goldschmidt’s second-half decline last season. That setup made the first-base picture fragile from the start, with Goldschmidt expected to supply production in the spots where Rice had yet to force his way into the same conversation.

Ben Rice Against Lefties

Rice has made that conversation harder. Against left-handed pitchers, he is slashing.304/.407/.696 with three home runs in 27 plate appearances, while Goldschmidt is batting.111 with a.527 OPS in 23 plate appearances against lefties in 2026.

That split leaves the Yankees with a straightforward matchup choice when a left-handed starter is on the mound. If Goldschmidt is not producing in those at-bats, the case for giving Rice more work at first base gets stronger by the game, and the club’s early-season decision turns less on reputation than on which hitter is driving the better result.

Yankees Lineup Pressure

The pressure now sits on everyday usage. Goldschmidt’s production through nine games gives the Yankees little margin to ignore the numbers, and his recent stretch has already narrowed the space he has to justify regular starts. Rice’s early damage against lefties only sharpens that squeeze, because the Yankees do not need both first basemen to hit to the same level — they need the better one in the right matchup.

For Goldschmidt, the next challenge is simple: stop the hitless run and show the Yankees that his one-year deal still belongs in the middle of a lineup built to contend. Until that happens, the box score is pointing the decision toward Rice whenever lefties start.