Yankees' injured first baseman considered 'a long shot' for Division Series

Yesterday at 10:29 AM

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo is working hard to return from the fractured fingers that are preventing him from being a lock for the Division Series roster, as the team prepares to face the Kansas City Royals starting on Saturday.

Anthony Rizzo is still recovering from a hand injury

Yes, that’s right — Rizzo is dealing with a couple of fractures, as he was hit by a pitch in the series against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the last weekend of the regular season. That pitch broke not one, but two of his fingers.

Despite Rizzo’s intentions to be ready for the important matchup, he still hasn’t performed any baseball activities with only two days until the start of the ALDS. As a result, he is considered unlikely to be ready in time to be part of the roster as things stand right now.

“Anthony Rizzo hasn’t attempted baseball activities yet, Brian Cashman said. The Yankees consider him a long shot to be ready for the ALDS,” Yankees insider Bryan Hoch, who covers the team for MLB.com, posted on X.

Anthony Rizzo hasn't attempted baseball activities yet, Brian Cashman said. The Yankees consider him a long shot to be ready for the ALDS.

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) October 3, 2024

The Yankees will need to plan for the ALDS without Rizzo in the picture

It’s hard to count on Rizzo being ready to play in two days when he hasn’t hit or taken grounders.

First base is shaping up to be a problematic position for the Yankees heading into the postseason. Even if Rizzo was healthy, he posted a .637 OPS this year and a .660 mark since returning from his hand/wrist fracture. It’s clear by now that the formerly prolific slugger just isn’t the same since last year’s concussion, plus natural age and decline.

Having him around would have given a steady veteran presence to the Yankees, though. Now, the team is forced to go with either Oswaldo Cabrera (.661 OPS) or Ben Rice (.613) at the position. Both of them have more upside than Rizzo, but none has done enough to separate himself from the other.

Rizzo hasn’t been officially ruled out for the postseason, or for the AL Division Series for that matter. The latter, however, is looking extremely unlikely at this point.