TAMPA — Paul Goldschmidt was not in the Yankees lineup Friday as originally hoped, but neither he nor his manager thought much of it.
The veteran first baseman said Friday morning he expects to return to game action on Saturday, which would be his first time in the lineup since being removed from Monday’s game after two at-bats with back soreness.
“We just talked about maybe giving it another day,” Goldschmidt said before working out at Steinbrenner Field. “My back is basically 100 percent, or very, very close to it. So we decided if I was going to play three games before Opening Day, we could just go play the weekend and then one of those next two instead of tonight and one over the weekend. So just switch it up a little bit, but nothing’s changed. Still feels good.”
Later in the day, Aaron Boone said he plans to play Goldschmidt in back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday and then again on Tuesday in the exhibition against the Marlins in Miami.
Paul Goldschmidt is pictured during a spring training game Feb. 26.Charles Wenzelberg
The 37-year-old Goldschmidt reiterated that he has no concerns about his availability for Opening Day next Thursday and that if this were the regular season, it would not be stopping him.
“I’ll be honest, spring training when there’s maybe — I wouldn’t call it an injury — something that’s a little sore, something that is weird during the regular season, your mind’s just like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna play,’ ” Goldschmidt said. “But when you know you’re preparing for something in the future, it is a little different trying to gauge how aggressive do you be with it. But I think we’re taking a little bit more conservative approach.
Yankees first base Paul Goldschmidt (48) catches a ball during work outs at George M. Steinbrenner Field.Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
“But I also think the work I’m going to get in, maybe I didn’t play one game I maybe would have played and I was still able to get at-bats [Thursday in live batting practice]. I’m going to get some today. Just continue to build for opening day and the whole regular season.”
Goldschmidt, coming off a down year with the Cardinals, has hit .313 with a 1.076 OPS in 32 at-bats this spring.
Clarke Schmidt woke up Friday feeling good, a day after throwing 32 pitches in a live batting practice session.
But the right-hander, who had been slowed by shoulder fatigue, acknowledged that it is going to be “tough” to start the sixth game of the season, as the Yankees had initially hoped, because of where his pitch count is.
Instead, the expectation is that he will start the season on the injured list to finish off his buildup in Tampa.
“We might be a little handcuffed,” Schmidt saidFriday morning. “But I don’t think we’re too, too far off it. There’s obviously maneuverability. But I think the most important thing is feeling good after the outing.”
Schmidt expects to pitch again on Tuesday (potentially in a minor league game), when he would likely jump up to 40 pitches.
Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt (36) during work outs at George M. Steinbrenner Field.Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Generally, starters add around seven to 10 pitches in each outing during their ramp-up.
He hopes to get around 65-70 by the time he reenters the rotation.
Austin Wells continued to thrive out of the leadoff spot, crushing a pair of home runs (including one to lead off the game in a seven-pitch at-bat against Keider Montero) in a 3-for-4 night.
Wells and Ben Rice (who added a pair of doubles off the bat at 113.8 mph and 104.1 mph) are now tied for the team lead with five home runs this spring.
“Save some for the season,” Carlos Rodón said jokingly.
