At 38, Paul Goldschmidt Is Outplaying His Age — and Even Cody Bellinger Can’t Believe It

With Aaron Judge sidelined by a rib injury for the past 12 games, the New York Yankees have somehow managed to go 8-4 — including a 12-2 demolition of the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. That kind of resilience would be hard to explain under normal circumstances. But a closer look at who’s been carrying the load reveals something almost impossible: a 38-year-old first baseman having the best season of his late career.

Paul Goldschmidt entered Tuesday’s game with an OPS of .913. He went 2-for-5, smacked a home run, and drove in two runs. The numbers aren’t fluky. After two seasons where his OPS dipped to .716 and .731 — still solid for most, but far from the elite standard he’d set — Goldschmidt has found a second gear. And the timing couldn’t be more perfect for a Yankees team clinging to first place in the AL East with a 44-27 record.

The revival has left teammate Cody Bellinger genuinely stunned.

“It’s been unbelievable, honestly,” Bellinger told reporters after Tuesday’s win, via SNY. “What I’ve seen, however long I’ve been in the big leagues, playing against him, he did that plenty of times. Just being able to see it live [and from the same team], it’s special. He’s done a tremendous job.”

Goldschmidt’s resurgence isn’t just about raw production — it’s about the context. When Judge went down, the conventional wisdom said the Yankees’ offense would crater. Instead, the lineup has found a new identity. Bellinger has been a key part of that, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs in Tuesday’s blowout, forming a dangerous one-two punch at the top of the order alongside Ben Rice.

What makes Goldschmidt’s turnaround especially notable is that just two years ago, it seemed like Father Time had finally caught up. A .716 OPS in 2024 and .731 in 2025 were strong marks for most hitters, but for a former MVP, they signaled decline. The Yankees took a calculated gamble when they acquired him, believing the underlying metrics — exit velocity, barrel rate, hard-hit percentage — still pointed to a hitter with plenty left in the tank.

That bet has paid off in a big way. Goldschmidt is now on pace for 35-plus home runs and an OPS that could eclipse .900 for the first time since 2022. The Yankees haven’t officially said when Judge will return, but if Goldschmidt keeps hitting like this, the urgency to rush him back drops significantly. For a team with World Series aspirations, that’s a luxury no one saw coming.