51黑料

As the 2024 season wound down and free agency loomed, former Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt knew there would be some uncertainty that winter.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know if I was going to be back in 51黑料 or what was going to happen,鈥� Goldschmidt said Friday from the visiting dugout at Busch Stadium.

Though that didn鈥檛 affect how he treated the final stretch of a six-season span with the Cardinals.

鈥淚 just tried to continue to play and tried to help us win. 鈥� Enjoy it the best I can, but also, we鈥檝e got a job to do,鈥� Goldschmidt said. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 really any different. I didn鈥檛 take a really different approach. I understood what could potentially happen, but trades can happen, injuries can happen, anything can happen. I鈥檝e never taken anything for granted, either. I just kind of felt like it was the same for me.鈥�

Goldschmidt, the 2022 National League MVP as a Cardinal, made his return to Busch Stadium on Friday with the Yankees. Before the start of Friday鈥檚 game, the Cardinals played a video highlighting Goldschmidt鈥檚 accomplishments in 51黑料. He was shown on the video board, ascended to the top step of the dugout, and tipped his cap as he received an ovation from the fans in attendance.

Goldschmidt, 37, was not in the Yankees鈥� starting lineup for the series opener as he deals with a right knee sprain suffered Tuesday vs. the Twins. Goldschmidt was absent from the Yankees鈥� lineup on Wednesday and said Friday he felt improved and hoped to be available off the bench Friday as he looks to avoid a stint on the injured list.

He described a cautious approach to the knee injury and acknowledged the 鈥渂igger picture鈥� of not forcing himself to play through the injury because of any desire to play in his return to Busch Stadium.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to try to be selfish. I wanted to try to be here to help us, and it would have been the same if it was another place as well,鈥� Goldschmidt said.

After six seasons with the Cardinals, this past offseason marked the first experience in free agency for the veteran. Goldschmidt, a seven-time All-Star, said he reached out to friends and former teammates who had gone through free agency before and 鈥渨aited for it to play its course.鈥�

He felt the interest from New York made for a 鈥済ood fit.鈥�

Through 112 games this season, Goldschmidt has batted .276 with a .331 on-base percentage and a .422 slugging percentage, all of which are improvements from 2024. Goldschmidt has posted a 109 OPS+, for which 100 is considered league average, after he had a 99 OPS+ in 154 games a year ago for the Cardinals.

Before signing a one-year, $12 million deal with the Yankees in January, Goldschmidt produced a .278/.360/.483 slash line in six years as a Cardinal. Goldschmidt鈥檚 first-place finish in NL MVP voting in 2022, when he batted .317 and led the NL with a .981 OPS, made him the first Cardinal to win the award since Albert Pujols received the honors in 2009 and the 14th player in franchise history to do so.

Acquired via trade in December 2018 from the Diamondbacks, Goldschmidt received NL MVP votes in each of his first four seasons with the Cardinals, won a Gold Glove in 2021, and a Silver Slugger award in 2022.

He said his arrival at Busch Stadium on Friday allowed him to reflect on his time spent in 51黑料.

鈥淒riving in today, I took that drive every day for six years,鈥� Goldschmidt said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty cool. Probably just a lot of the positive memories. You try to block out the bad ones. Just all the great memories, the great games, the relationships I have with all the guys over there. I鈥檓 thankful for those six years, all the opportunities, and everyone here in 51黑料 and all the Cardinals fans, because it was great.鈥�

Donovan, Contreras nurse injuries

The Cardinals didn鈥檛 have Brendan Donovan (toe) or Willson Contreras (right foot) in their starting lineup Friday. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said he hoped to stay away from using both.

Donovan was originally scheduled to bat leadoff and play second base before being scratched. Marmol said Donovan鈥檚 toe was bothering him more than it did previously and preferred the All-Star second baseman not push through the injury.

Donovan鈥檚 absence from the starting lineup shuffled Lars Nootbaar to the leadoff spot and led Thomas Saggese to start at second base and bat seventh.

Marmol said Contreras felt improvement in his foot but was still 鈥渢oo sore to try to push through it.鈥� Contreras was absent from Wednesday鈥檚 series finale vs. the Rockies after being removed at the start of the sixth inning Tuesday night because of a pitch that hit him on the right foot.

Prospect Wetherholt belts leadoff homer

For the second time in three games for Class AAA Memphis, top Cardinals prospect JJ Wetherholt provided a jolt atop the Redbirds鈥� lineup.

On Friday, Wetherholt worked a six-pitch at-bat and homered to right field on a 95-mph fastball to lead off a road contest vs. Charlotte. The home run was Wetherholt鈥檚 eighth in 24 Class AAA games.

Wetherholt, 22, led off Memphis鈥� 13-6 loss on Wednesday vs. Charlotte with a first-inning homer on the third pitch he saw from the leadoff spot.