Yankees’ Cody Bellinger praises Paul Goldschmidt amid recent injury

The New York Yankees took two games from the Minnesota Twins to get back to their winning ways. But they lost the third game without Paul Goldschmidt due to a knee injury. Aaron Boone did not use him in a pinch-hitting spot for struggling lefty Austin Wells, which made a lot more sense once the injury was revealed. Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger spoke about Goldschmidt’s importance amid the injury news.

“He’s been a huge part of this team,” Bellinger told Brandon Kuty of The Athletic. “He’s a vacuum over there at first base, as well. I’ve played first before, and I really appreciate what he does on the defensive side, and you know, for me, it’s just the quality ABs. He’s just a true professional in every single at-bat. We’ll see. I haven’t heard anything, but it’ll be tough, for sure.”

Goldschmidt started the season blistering hot, with a .338 batting average and .889 OPS at the end of May. But recent struggles have tilted his stats heavily in favor of at-bats against lefty pitchers. In 311 plate appearances against righties, Goldschmidt has a .228 batting average and .584 OPS. In 124 plate appearances against lefties, he is slashing .404/.476/.716 for a 1.191 OPS.

The Yankees have replacements at the ready, with Bellinger and Ben Rice able to play first base. But Goldschmidt is the third right-handed hitter to hit the injured list in recent weeks. Amed Rosario and Austin Slater were picked up at the trade deadline to balance the bench, but they are both hurt.

The Yankees are not out of the wilderness yet, as they have historically crushed the Twins. Their real tests come on the road against the St Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays before a huge four-game set against the Boston Red Sox. If Goldschmidt is not around for all of that, it could be the downfall of a once-promising season in New York.