Texas State Professional Athletes

Texas State's Goldschmidt Heads Toward a Defining Offseason

Paul Goldschmidt's time in pinstripes is running out — and what happens this winter could define the final chapter of a Hall of Fame-caliber career.

The Texas State product and seven-time MLB All-Star is set to hit free agency after the 2026 season, with the Yankees already navigating lineup decisions around the veteran first baseman as the schedule winds down. It's a quiet ending to what was a quietly productive late-season stretch — the kind that keeps suitors interested but doesn't exactly drive up the market.

Over the week of September 20–26, Goldschmidt went 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI — hitting .255 on Thursday against the Rays (2 hits, 1 RBI in a 6-4 Yankees win) and chipping in another RBI Friday against Baltimore in a 2-10 loss. He was absent from multiple lineups across the stretch — the Yankees announced him out before Tuesday's doubleheader against Tampa Bay and again ahead of at least one game in the Arizona series — leaving him as a part-time presence rather than an everyday anchor.

Still, consistent run production from a 38-year-old first baseman is far from nothing. The numbers won't dazzle, but Goldschmidt has always been more than a stat line. His seven All-Star nods, MVP pedigree, and reputation for elite defense at first base give any contender reason to look twice this offseason.

The Yankees, for their part, appear to be managing Goldschmidt carefully down the stretch — a sign either of preservation ahead of a potential playoff push or of a quiet acknowledgment that his future in New York is uncertain. He was not in the lineup for Saturday's 5-3 loss in the Arizona series, though he did contribute a hit, a walk, and two runs in Friday's series opener — a game the Yankees won 9-2.

For Texas State alumni tracking one of the program's most decorated big leaguers, this stretch of September baseball feels like a prologue. Goldschmidt isn't done — but where he lands next could shape exactly how his story ends. A reunion with a contender, a return to a familiar market, or a short-term deal to chase one more ring are all on the table.

No other Texas State alumni made notable statistical waves in MLB action this week. Kyle Finnegan (Tigers), Nick Fraze (Blue Jays), Zachary Leigh (Cubs), Levi Wells (Orioles), and Dalton Shuffield (Twins) are all active on big-league rosters as the regular season hits its final days, with the Bobcat pipeline across the league a quiet testament to the program's professional development track.

The spotlight, as it has been for years, belongs to Goldschmidt. Watch this winter.

Texas State's two most prominent MLB alumni found themselves in very different headlines this week — one fighting for a spot on a playoff roster, the other watching the final stretch from the injured list.

Goldschmidt's October Fate Hangs in the Balance

Paul Goldschmidt is in New York's postseason plans in name only — for now. The Yankees clinched a playoff berth, but multiple outlets are raising pointed questions about whether the former Cardinals star will actually suit up in October. With MLB limiting postseason rosters to 26 men and no more than 13 pitchers, roster construction becomes a high-stakes puzzle, and Goldschmidt's role as a part-time first baseman puts him squarely on the bubble.

The Texas State alum has appeared in the Yankees' lineup sporadically over the past week. He led off and went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored in New York's 9-2 win over Arizona on Saturday, and picked up a hit in a 4-5 loss to Minnesota on Wednesday. His season average sits at .253 — serviceable, but not the kind of number that makes a roster decision easy when playoff spots are precious and versatility matters most.

With Aaron Judge landing back on the IL with a calf strain — a development that surfaced ahead of the Yankees' Arizona series — New York's lineup depth is under even more scrutiny. Goldschmidt has provided a reliable right-handed bat off the bench and as a spot starter, but analysts and fans alike are urging the Yankees to make a definitive call rather than carry an uncertain role into October.

Whether Goldschmidt makes the cut will likely come down to how the Yankees weigh positional flexibility against a crowded roster. He's been a mainstay all season. The question is whether that loyalty extends to the playoffs.

Finnegan's Year Done in Detroit

Kyle Finnegan won't finish the season on the mound. The Tigers confirmed that their right-handed reliever has been placed on the injured list and will miss the final 10 days of the regular season, ending his year prematurely.

The timing is rough for both Finnegan and Detroit. The Tigers entered the week as a fringe playoff contender, and losing a bullpen arm — even for a short stretch — adds pressure on a relief corps that can ill afford attrition. Finnegan's final appearances were turbulent: he allowed three earned runs in a full inning of work during a 6-5 Detroit win over Toronto on Monday, then surrendered another run while recording just one out against the Blue Jays on Tuesday before the injury sidelined him entirely. He finishes the season with a 4.30 ERA.

It's a deflating end to what had been a meaningful campaign for the Texas State product, who had established himself as a reliable piece of Detroit's bullpen throughout the year.

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Two Texas State alumni, two diverging storylines as September winds down — one chasing an October stage, one watching it from the sideline.

Two Texas State alumni are deep in the late-season grind, and the week of Aug. 30–Sept. 5 told very different stories about where each one stands.

Goldschmidt Gives the Yankees Exactly What They Need

Paul Goldschmidt is doing what Paul Goldschmidt does — quietly, consistently, and at exactly the right time of year. The first baseman put together one of his best stretches of the season this week, headlined by a three-hit, one-homer, three-RBI performance against the Red Sox on Aug. 30, part of a Yankees romp that started with a clutch sequence of at-bats in the fifth inning. He followed that up with two hits against the Angels on Sept. 3 and added another hit and an RBI against the Padres on Sept. 5, closing out the week hitting .252.

The week wasn't without a wrinkle — Goldschmidt sat out one game against the Angels, prompting teammate Jazz Chisholm Jr. to step into the production gap with a three-hit, one-homer performance. Chisholm made a point of crediting the lineup depth, but the subtext was clear: when Goldschmidt is out, someone has to fill a big hole. The good news for New York is that he was back in the lineup shortly after, and his numbers are trending in the right direction at the most important time of the calendar.

For a Yankees club pushing for postseason positioning, Goldschmidt's veteran presence and contact reliability are exactly the kind of complementary production that holds a lineup together when bigger names cool off.

Finnegan's ERA Rollercoaster Is Raising Real Questions

Kyle Finnegan's week was a study in volatility — and it's amplifying concerns about a contract that was already drawing scrutiny.

The Tigers' $19 million reliever had a disastrous outing on Sept. 1 against the Twins, surrendering five earned runs in just one-third of an inning. The meltdown ballooned his ERA to 4.07 and sharpened questions about whether Detroit can count on him down the stretch. Considering the investment attached to his deal, one bad month had already become a problem. A five-run collapse turned it into a bigger one.

To his credit, Finnegan bounced back. He worked two clean innings against the Twins on Sept. 2 with three strikeouts, and followed that with a solid inning against the Guardians on Sept. 5, bringing his ERA back down to 3.86 by week's end. The rebound was encouraging, but the whiplash is precisely the issue — Detroit needs reliability out of its late-game arms, not a week-to-week guessing game.

The Tigers also announced personal news involving Finnegan ahead of their series against Cleveland, though the details were unrelated to on-field performance.

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The contrast between Goldschmidt and Finnegan this week captures the tension of late September baseball perfectly: one Bobcat alumni steadying a contender, another fighting to prove his price tag is justified. Both situations are worth watching as the regular season enters its final weeks.