The New York Yankees will be without first baseman Anthony Rizzo for the next four to six weeks. Rizzo suffered a forearm fracture after colliding with Red Sox lefty Brennan Bernardino at first base in Sunday’s 9-3 loss at Boston.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal was first with news of Rizzo’s injury and reported details along with Yankees beat writers Brendan Kuty and Chris Kirschner.
The Yankees have yet to announce an ensuing roster move, but this is a prime opportunity for prospect Ben Rice. He’s batting .275 with 15 home runs in the minors this year and just made a smooth transition to Triple-A.
More likely, however, is the Yankees shift DJ LeMahieu to first base, stick Oswaldo Cabrera at third, and then call up an extra pitcher.
Regardless, Rizzo was becoming more of a net negative in the lineup with every passing game. He’s only batting .223 with eight homers and a wRC+ of 84. The only good thing he’s done at the plate is cut his strikeout rate (K%) from 23% to 16.5%.
All signs keep pointing to this being the swan song of Anthony Rizzo’s all-too-brief Yankees career. It’s easy to miss, but he’s missed time as a Yankee for one reason or another ever since being acquired from the Cubs in 2021.
Shortly after putting on the pinstripes, Rizzo hit the COVID list and missed nearly a week. In 2022, lower back pain and ensuing migraines from an epidural to treat it led to an extended absence. A concussion last season robbed him of his effectiveness at bat, and the timing issues carried over to this season before Sunday’s latest.
Here’s hoping that captain Aaron Judge’s loyal first mate recovers quickly and can produce at least a little bit down the stretch in the second half.
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