BOSTON — The Yankees might have to enter their large showdown in opposition to the Orioles with out first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who injured his proper hand and wrist after a seventh-inning collision throughout New York’s 9-3 loss to the Purple Sox on Sunday night at Fenway Park.
Reaching base on an error charged to first baseman Dominic Smith, Rizzo slammed into pitcher Brennan Bernardino, then tumbled past the bag. Rizzo appeared in speedy discomfort, remaining down for a number of moments earlier than leaving for a pinch-runner, Oswaldo Cabrera.
“When he didn’t stand up straight away, I may inform he was in some ache,” supervisor Aaron Boone stated.
The outcomes of a fluoroscope taken at Fenway Park had been adverse, however the Yankees stated Rizzo could be examined by group medical employees on Monday in New York, the place he’ll bear additional imaging.
“You don’t see that [pain] from Rizz,” stated captain Aaron Decide. “Often he leads Main League Baseball in hit-by-pitches, so he’s good with coping with ache. He’s robust.”
It has been a tough 12 months for Rizzo, whose 2023 season was derailed by a collision with the Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. at Yankee Stadium final Could. Rizzo’s offensive manufacturing plummeted markedly after that occasion, and he would ultimately be positioned on the injured record with post-concussion syndrome.
Although Rizzo has stated a number of occasions that he’s past any concussion-related points, his numbers have dipped every month this yr. Together with a hitless exhibiting on Sunday, Rizzo is simply 5-for-48 (.104) in June, with one double, one homer and three RBIs.
“The previous week or so, the man has been swinging the bat properly and got here up with some large hits,” Decide stated. “He had a homer in opposition to Kansas Metropolis. We’re going to overlook him, however the very first thing is well being.”
Ought to Rizzo land on the injured record, the Yankees may have DJ LeMahieu play extra recurrently at first base, with Cabrera seeing extra time at third base — the defensive alignment they used to finish Sunday’s sport.
There are additionally a pair of promising first-base choices at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, although neither is on the 40-man roster.
Catcher/first baseman Ben Rice is off to a sizzling begin after a latest promotion from Double-A Somerset, tallying 14 hits in 42 at-bats (.333) with three homers and 10 RBIs at Triple-A. Rice is the Yankees’ No. 12 prospect, in line with MLB Pipeline.
T.J. Rumfield has additionally been one of many RailRiders’ most constant hitters, posting a .303/.358/.454 slash line with 5 homers and 32 RBIs in 47 Triple-A video games by Sunday.
