New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo fractured the fourth and fifth fingers on his right hand when he was hit by a pitch during Saturday’s game, manager Aaron Boone announced, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News.
While Rizzo’s status for the playoffs isn’t yet clear, Boone refused to rule him out entirely. The Yankees already clinched a bye to the ALDS, which could potentially help Rizzo be ready for Game 1.
“We’ll see what we have as the week moves forward. It doesn’t totally rule him out,” Boone said, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “It’s a pain tolerance thing.”
Rizzo sustained the fractures when he was hit by a Ryan Borucki slider in the seventh inning of the Yankees’ 9-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He briefly remained in the game to run the bases, but was replaced on defense by Oswaldo Cabrera in the top of the eighth.
Rizzo, 35, has struggled to stay healthy over the last few seasons. He lost a large portion of 2023 to a concussion and was limited to 92 games this season after suffering a fractured forearm in June.
When healthy, the three-time All-Star’s been mired in his worst season since 2011, hitting .228/.301/.335 with eight homers and 35 RBIs over 337 plate appearances. Rizzo hasn’t hit a homer since returning from the IL in early September.
If he’s not ready for the Yankees’ playoff opener next week, Boone said rookie Ben Rice would be a candidate to join the postseason roster, according to Hoch. Rice started 40 games at first base while Rizzo was sidelined earlier this year and put up a .624 OPS with seven homers over that span. He’s spent September in Triple-A.
Boone also indicated that he’d be comfortable using Cabrera at first, according to Phillips. While DJ LeMahieu could theoretically be a candidate if he completes his rehab from a hip injury, Boone did not mention the veteran utility man during Saturday’s press conference.
