Yankees Veteran Shuts Down Concerns Over Knee Injury

When the New York Yankees executed an impressive sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in their latest series, and added insult to injury: literally.

While Yankees first baseman and former Cardinal Paul Goldschmidt sat out the first two games of the series due to a minor knee injury, he was back in action for the third and exacted his revenge. Goldschmidt and his new team dealt a huge blow to the Cardinals, defeating the NL club 8-4. After the game, Goldschmidt said that he wasn't particularly concerned about his injury and was focused on getting back on the field.

"I really wasn't worried about the knee," Goldschmidt said (h/t MLB.com's Jeff Jones). "There's this weird, like subconscious, when you've kind of hurt something or your body maybe wants to test it out a little bit. But I'd hit fine (in the cage), I'd done defense. But yeah, to get out there and play nine, it was good."

Goldschmidt delivered a terrific performance during the game, recording three hits and one run, as well as an RBI. While he was playing on the opposing team, Cardinals fans were more than happy to treat Goldschmidt to a warm homecoming. The stadium rose to give him a standing ovation ahead of the Yankees' series-sweeping win, with Goldschmidt back on first base.

Aug 17, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (48) salutes the fans as he receives a standing ovation during the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The Yankees signed Goldschmidt to a one-year, $12.5 million deal last offseason, and it's paid of tremendously. Not only is the 15-year MLB veteran a cornerstone of the Yankees' infield, he's slashing .280/ .334/ .429, his best numbers since he won NL MVP with the Cardinals in 2022.

After sweeping the Cardinals and some disappointing play from several AL rivals, the Yankees are back at the top of the AL Wild Card standings. If they can keep playing like they did this past series, they may even be able to supplant the Toronto Blue Jays and regain their once-dominant lead of the AL East. However, that will take getting through their upcoming series against the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox unscathed, which might be a tall order for a New York team that is 14-19 against their division this year.

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!