Manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch) following today’s loss to the Pirates that first baseman Anthony Rizzo sustained two fractured fingers when he was struck by a pitch from Pittsburgh lefty Ryan Borucki. Hoch later added that, per Boone, the first baseman had actually fractured both his fourth and fifth fingers on his right hand. Rizzo exited the game following the incident, and it’s not yet clear when he’ll be able to return to the diamond. As noted by Hoch, Boone did not rule Rizzo out for the club’s upcoming postseason push.
“We’ll see what we have as the week moves forward,” Boone said. “It doesn’t totally rule him out. It’s a pain tolerance thing.”
It’s the latest injury-related setback for Rizzo in what has become a series of frustrating injuries during his tenure with the Yankees. After an eight-season stretch in Chicago where Rizzo was rarely injured, appearing in 94% of the Cubs’ regular season games from 2013 to his trade to the Bronx in 2021, the veteran first baseman has been far less available throughout his tenure with the Yankees. While he managed 130 games in his first full season with the club in 2022, his past two years have been marred with post-concussion syndrome and a fractured forearm that both set him down for multiple months, leaving him to appear in less than 60% of the club’s contests over the past two years.
Those injury issues have coincided with a downturn in performance for the 35-year-old, who this year is slashing just .227/.298/.334 through 91 games. It’s his worst showing in a season since the 49-game cup of coffee with San Diego that kicked off his lengthy big league career, and a far cry from the production the Yankees were surely hoping to get from him when they signed him to a two-year deal that guaranteed him $40MM prior to the 2023 season. With that being said, even losing a diminished version of Rizzo is still a blow to the Yankees’ lineup headed into the postseason.
After all, the club got lackluster production from a combination of Ben Rice and DJ LeMahieu at first base in Rizzo’s absence; only the Rockies posted a lower wRC+ at first base than the 76 the Yankees put up in Rizzo’s absence, and the club’s -1.1 fWAR at the position put them ahead of only the Astros among all AL clubs. It should also be noted that while Rizzo has hardly been the middle-of-the-lineup force he was earlier in his career since returning to the lineup on September 1, he has hit better overall with a .247/.345/.315 slash line in 84 plate appearances. That’s good for a wRC+ more than 15 points higher than the figures put up by Rice and LeMahieu’s combined efforts in his absence.
If Rizzo is healthy enough to take the field for the Yankees when the ALDS begins on October 5, it seems likely that he’ll be the best option the club has available at first base. Failing that, however, Hoch notes that Boone did confirm that Rice would be an option for the club’s postseason roster. A 25-year-old rookie, Rice is a bat-first catcher that has begun to move over to first base in recent years in part to accommodate the rapid advance of his offense. The youngster has slashed a sensational .294/.428/.661 in 30 games at the Triple-A level this year after posting similarly excellent numbers in 97 career games at the Double-A level, but he’s hit just .174/.269/.356 in a 49-game cup of coffee over the summer.
That figure includes a somewhat stronger .184/.265/.395 slash line in 132 trips to the plate against righties at the major league level. That could make him an excellent choice for a lefty-mashing platoon partner, but with LeMahieu on the IL amid a career-worst season that saw him hit just .164/.235/.206 against southpaws there aren’t many good options for that role. One possibility would be utility man Jon Berti, who sports a decent .250/.328/.384 career slash line against lefty pitching, but it would be a bold choice for the club to put Berti at first base with zero experience at the position in the middle of the playoffs, even considering his exceptional positional versatility. Switch-hitter Oswaldo Cabrera has some experience at first base and even replaced Rizzo there following his exit today, but he’s hit just .206/.251/.306 against southpaws to this point in his career.
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CravenMoorehead
NOOOOOOO 🙁
CravenMoorehead
As inconsistent as Ben Rice has been I will take him all day over DJ LeMahieu at this point. LeMahieu simply cannot appear in any playoff game for this team if they’re truly serious about winning.
Joe says...
I know he doesn’t have many games at first but I’d rather have Cabrera than DJ or Rice.
CravenMoorehead
Literally. Arrest LeMahieu if he’s anywhere near the stadium on game day.
ctbronx7
LeMahieu will be the everyday 1st baseman in the ALDS. He makes a ton of money and remains a personal favorite of Boone — all due to quality seasons three and four years ago.
larkraxm
Agreed. He looked pretty good at first yesterday. Either way, it is clear that we won’t be getting any offense out of that position, even if Rizzo was not injured. That said, which is the best option for defense at first base? I still think it is Cabrera.
jerseyjohn
Rice also was still taking his walks. I’d plug him in tomorrow and go to battle. Cabrera is an option albeit not very exciting. If Berti appears at 1st I’d be amazed. That’s a horrible idea…
danrobertori
Rizzo’s time with the Yankees is over. It’s been really terrible. You would think he would make adjustments to his batting stance since he sits right on top of the plate. Hardly know who we can trade for in the offseason
Carl Winslow
The former Cub is washed up!!! Paul Konerko was better.
ncaachampillini
Don’t you have a 121 loss team to go watch?
In 8,400 at bats Konerko had a career 28.1 WAR.
In 6,300 career at bats Rizzo has a 39.8 career WAR.
You my friend aren’t even close to accurate.
Carl Winslow
Sabermetrics nerd –
OPINION DISCARDED!
You should put your preferred pronouns in your account name too while you’re at it ncaachampillini
– CARL WINSLOW
vtadave
ok weirdo, but Rizzo still better
larkraxm
Carl Winslow’s eye test is better than your silly statistical analysis. Konerko, then Mantle, then Griffey Jr.
sad tormented neglected mariners fan
An old first baseman that has contact issues nowadays! Mariners think it’s another Carlos Santana! He’d fit right in!
Carl Winslow
Rizzo is going to end up in Miami with the rest of the bums.
Logjammer D"Baggagecling
You can have Patrick Wisdom. Don’t want anything back. Just take him and make him the clubhouse jersey washer. Or a ball dude down one of the lines. Maybe he can get a 9-5 as a delivery man for Uber Eats
Carl Winslow
NashvilleJeff is B-rocker’s personal ball washer.
drasco036
You wash my balls with your mouth
sad tormented neglected mariners fan
Id take wisdom that last name makes him sound like a smart guy which means he has great plate discipline, oh wait…
Actually though wisdom would be better than a struggling Josh Rojas/luis Urias at 3rd base or a struggling Tyler locklear at 1st
ctbronx7
I’d like to see Verdugo or Dominguez get a chance to play 1B in ‘25.
YankeesBleacherCreature
Verdugo as a free agent will be elsewhere in ’25 and Dominguez is a waste at 1B with his speed and a work in progress outfielder.
sad tormented neglected mariners fan
Spencer jones would be better at 1st
YankeesBleacherCreature
Jones hasn’t proven he can hit above AA yet.
jerseyjohn
Please… Dude is an excellent CF with a great arm, let’s put him at 1st. He also needs about 600 more Ab’s in the minors to get his K rate under control.
jerseyjohn
Rice!
Susannah
Noodle!
Jerry Hairston Jr's Toupee
I doubt Rizzo with broken fingers is the best 1st base option at the plate. Can’t imagine his production will be anywhere near where it was….
Warden of the North(acoss13)
Here comes DJ to the rescue! Good luck Yankees fans, Boone is extremely loyal to DJ, but hopefully Boone gets Cabrera in at first base.
whyhayzee
It’s a pain tolerance thing.
Carl Winslow
That’s what NashvilleJeff told b-rocker on their first date.
– Carl Winslow
Troy Percival's iPad
… Someone would make a killing as a minor league hitting coordinator teaching guys to get out of the f***ing way
YankeesBleacherCreature
Terrible way for Rizzo to end his Yankees career.
CravenMoorehead
Especially a class act like him. He’s had a wonderful career but he’s breaking down physically. Regardless I wish him the best no matter what he decides on for 2025.
randy g
Nice guy no loss. Our 1st baseman should hit .260. 25 hrs and 90 RBI’s. Jim Thome’s better at this point
Citizen1
This time of year good hitters get hbp from Angry non playoff teams. Just bench them or add a large sponge on the hand/wrist or a football.
stymeedone
“This tome of year good hitters get hbp from Angry non playoff teams.”
What does that have to do with Rizzo? Judge or Soto you may have a case. Rizzo has been terrible. Joey Gallo without the power.
RevitalizedOldDude
What a dumb take. Instead of carping about how Judge struck out 5 times against 5 different pitchers today or how Soto ran the bases like a 7 year old when the Yankees were starting to put pressure on or how Gil got hammered for 5 homers, this is your take?
Grow up
its_happening
The closer one stands to the plate, the greater the chance he will get hit by a pitch. Rizzo does crowd the plate.
top jimmy
Put Berti at 1B. He would bring some much needed speed and on base skills to this lineup.
alwaysgo4two
As I’m watching the game and it was in the later innings, I’m saying to myself why isn’t Boone pulling the starters? Skenes was gone, no reason to not pull a couple. Then he gets hit.
YankeesBleacherCreature
I have no idea. And Judge wins the platinum sombero. They weren’t trying to win this game by allowing Warren in.
Slider_withcheese
It was slightly inside but didn’t look like Rizzo even tried to get out of the way. Just kind of pulled his bat in a bit. Notorious for leaning over the plate to get a hbp and this one could cost him.
JohnnyMute
The Yankees suck.