BRONX, NY: After today's loss to the Pirates, manager Aaron Boone informed reporters (including MLB.com's Bryan Hoch) that first baseman Anthony Rizzo suffered two fractured fingers after being hit by a pitch from Pittsburgh lefty Ryan Borucki.
Hoch then stated that the first baseman had broken both his right hand's fourth and fifth fingers, according to Boone. After the altercation, Rizzo left the game, and it's unclear when he'll be allowed to return to the diamond. Boone did not rule Rizzo out of the team's impending postseason run, as Hoch pointed out.
This is Rizzo's most recent injury-related setback in what has turned into a disappointing run of setbacks during his time with the Yankees. The veteran first baseman has been significantly less available during his time with the Yankees than he was during his eight seasons in Chicago, as he played in 94% of the Cubs' regular season games from 2013 until his trade to the Bronx in 2021.
Though he played in 130 games during his first full season with the team in 2022, he has missed more than 60% of the team's games the last two years due to post-concussion syndrome and a forearm fracture, which both kept him out for several months.
The 35-year-old's effectiveness has declined this season; through 91 games, he is slashing just .227/.298/.334; these injury concerns have corresponded with the decline. A far cry from the output the Yankees were undoubtedly hoping to get when they signed him to a two-year deal that guaranteed him $40MM prior to the 2023 season, it's his worst season performance since the 49-game cup of coffee with San Diego that started his lengthy big league career.
Nevertheless, the Yankees' lineup going into the postseason is still hurt by losing Rizzo, even in a reduced capacity. If without Rizzo, the Yankees will likely use a combination of UTIL bench pieces such as Oswaldo Cabrera and possibly DJ LeMahieu.
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