DUNEDIN, Fla. -- A sore back prompted Paul Goldschmidt to exit the Yankees’ 6-5 loss against the Blue Jays after two at-bats on Monday, but the veteran first baseman says he has “zero” concerns about being ready for Opening Day.

Goldschmidt went 0-for-1 with a walk and made a sprawling catch in the second inning before manager Aaron Boone replaced him defensively with T.J. Rumfield for the bottom of the third inning.

“My back has just been a little sore, so he just made the decision to stop there after three innings,” Goldschmidt said. “I can play a few innings; I could have probably played the whole game. In Spring Training, you just try to be smart. This was probably a time [when] there’s no need to push through something and make it more sore.”

Goldschmidt said he has been dealing with the issue for “four or five days,” adding: “It wasn’t really any worse today. You don’t want it to get worse with a week or so to go.”

A seven-time All-Star, the 37-year-old Goldschmidt has been remarkably durable over his career, playing in at least 150 games in each of the last 11 full Major League seasons. He signed a one-year, $12.5 million deal with the Yankees in December.

Boone said Goldschmidt, who is 10-for-32 (.313) with three homers and 10 RBIs this spring, is expected to play in Wednesday’s split-squad game against the Braves at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

“It was more just those first two innings were so long, too,” Boone said. “He was like, ‘I could keep going,’ but I was like, ‘No, let’s get out of there.’ It’s nothing that I think is anything too big.”

Chicken & Rice
Ben Rice packed on about 10 pounds this offseason, which he attributes to an improved diet that centered heavily on chicken and -- yes -- rice. “Lots” of it. The Yankees catcher/first baseman is seeing results, belting his fourth home run of the spring on Monday.

“It’s impressive,” Boone said. “He can hit, and it’s real juice everywhere.”

Rice’s blast came in the seventh inning off right-hander Tommy Nance, launched off his bat at 105.8 mph and traveling a Statcast-projected 415 feet to center field. Rice is tied for the team lead this spring in homers with Trent Grisham, who also went deep on Monday.

“[The added muscle] definitely helps,” Rice said. “It’s just putting more force in the ball, more mass behind it. You put it in the air, and good things are going to happen.”

With designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton beginning the year on the injured list with no set date to resume baseball activities, there may be ample opportunities for Rice to see at-bats early in the season.

“I’ll be ready for whatever role they need me to play, whether it’s catcher, first base, DH,” Rice said. “Anything just to get in the lineup and try to make an impact.”

Go, go, Gómez
Yoendrys Gómez continues to impress in his bid to secure an Opening Day roster spot, hurling 2 1/3 scoreless innings on Monday. The right-hander did not permit a hit, walked two and struck out one in the 37-pitch relief appearance, giving him nine scoreless innings this spring.

“I’m trying to use my legs more and get more loose with my mechanics,” Gómez said. “I’m continuing to work every day. The focus is to stay healthy and do my job.”

Boone cited Gómez’s improved velocity as one reason behind his success; he touched 94.5 mph and averaged 93.1 mph with his fastball on Monday.

“I’m excited about the steps 'YoGo' has made,” Boone said. “His velo is up, probably, a good two [or] three mph from where he was even last year. That’s been encouraging. He’s done some things physically that have helped him, and I feel like he’s looking good. He’s throwing strikes for the most part, with more power to everything. So he’s very much in the mix.”

Gómez, 25, is out of Minor League options, which Boone acknowledged “changes the equation” as the Yankees consider their roster to begin the season.

There appear to be two openings in the bullpen, one of which could belong to Gómez, who has enticed the Yankees with a five-pitch mix (fastball, sweeper, curveball, changeup, slider) since being signed in 2017, but he has been slowed by injuries.

Gómez has logged a 3.38 ERA in six Major League appearances over the past two seasons. He spent most of last season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, posting a 3-5 record and 3.89 ERA in 23 games (21 starts). Even with the Yanks’ starting pitching injuries, Boone said he envisions Gómez remaining in a relief role.

“Stranger things have happened, especially moving forward in his career, but certainly this is his path right now,” Boone said.