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By Jon Vankin
Contributing Sports Writer
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On a day when every other other team in the American League Wild Card race went down in defeat, the New York Yankees blew a golden opportunity to gain ground when they lost 4-1 to a team they had beaten nine straight times, and 11 out of 15 going back to 2023 season, the Minnesota Twins.
As a result, the Yankees remained stuck in the third and final AL Wild Card spot, just one slim game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians, and 1 1/2 behind their arch-rivals, the Boston Red Sox.
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After the game, however, the Yankees revealed even more disturbing news that can only make their quest to hang on to a playoff spot more difficult.
The 2022 National League MVP who signed as a free agent with the Yankees in the offseason on a one-year, $12.5 million contract, was unavailable for the game against the Twins and may require a stint on the injured list.
First baseman Paul Goldschmidt, according to manager Aaron Boone, is suffering from a "low grade right knee sprain." The injury occurred Tuesday night when the 37-year-old, 15-year veteran slammed his knee into the dirt catching a foul pop fly.
The knee sprain was the reason, Boone said, that Goldschmidt could not be used as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning Wednesday when the Twins pulled ace starter Joe Ryan in favor of lefty reliever Kody Funderburk.
With a runner on third base and two outs, Boone was forced to send up slumping Austin Wells, who took a called third strike to end the Yankees' threat.
More MLB: Yankee Legends Floated to Replace Aaron Boone; Here's Who Would Really Get Job
With an off-day Thursday, the Yankees travel to St. Louis where they will face Goldschmidt's previous team, the Cardinals, for a three-game inter-league set. Whether the Yankees first baseman will be ready to play remains uncertain.
Goldschmidt remained optimistic, saying of the injury, "I don't think it's anything long term," as quoted by The Athletic.
But he also acknowledged there was a "chance" he could wind up on the injured list.
With only 41 games remaining on the Yankees' schedule, and the struggling team in a razor-close battle to make the postseason, even a stint on the 10-day injured list for Goldschmidt could put a significant dent in the Bronx Bombers' chances.
More MLB: Yankees Could Crash Out of Playoff Race If They Don't Get Act Together: Insider
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