CLEVELAND — Aaron Boone had wanted to get Paul Goldschmidt a day off during the Yankees’ 13-day, 13-game stretch that came to an end on Wednesday.
The veteran’s bat would not allow it.
So Boone compromised by making him the DH on Wednesday and Goldschmidt just kept hitting, racking up three hits in the 5-1 win over the Guardians at Progressive Field.
The 37-year-old has multiple hits in 12 of his 25 games and is on an eight-game hitting streak that has boosted his average to .383 — trailing only teammate Aaron Judge for the best in the majors.
“I said [after signing with the Yankees] I have confidence I can play at a high level. You never know what’s going to happen, just like we don’t know what the rest of the year holds,” Goldschmidt said. “I’d love to play well every game and get a hit every time out there, that’s the goal, but you know there’s going to be ups and downs.
“It’s been a decent start for me and we’ll try to keep it going, keep working hard, but there’s a lot of games to go. It’s not about me, just trying to do my job to help us win and hopefully keep it going.”
Though Goldschmidt has just one home run on the season, he came close to adding a second on Wednesday, but settled for a pair of doubles while driving in two runs.
Serving as the regular cleanup hitter against righties, Goldschmidt has offered an important presence two spots behind Judge with a consistent approach.
“It’s huge,” Judge said. “Makes my job easy. Just try to get on first base. I know he’ll knock me in or do something special. Also having him, like Big G [Giancarlo Stanton], someone to talk to. Go through scouting reports, what’s he thinking, what’s he gonna try to do this time. He’s a pro. He takes notes. He remembers at-bats even from a couple years ago. It’s impressive the knowledge this guy has. So we’re lucky to have him.”
Anthony Volpe had a rough day at the plate to continue a tough stretch, going 0-for-5 with four strikeouts.
He fell further into a slump that is now 7-for-54 (.130) over his past 16 games.
“I really felt like the first couple days here he was swinging the bat better,” Boone said. “Tampa’s the one series where I felt like he struggled a little bit swinging the bat. And then today, obviously had some swing-and-miss in there.
“Sometimes a little bit less is more. Let your athleticism, speed and fast twitch take over. You want it a little bad sometimes. Tough day for him offensively, but he’ll turn the page and get it going.”
Jasson Domínguez’s double in the fifth inning came off lefty reliever Joey Cantillo, offering a rare bright spot for the switch-hitter from the right side.
He finished Wednesday 3-for-29 against lefties this season.
After the game, the Yankees optioned infielder Jorbit Vivas back to Triple-A, clearing the way for Trent Grisham to come off the paternity list Friday.
Vivas has yet to make his MLB debut.
