Yankees scrape Anthony Rizzo out of the lineup with an oddball running back
The Yankees have already suffered too many injuries to count, from their starting turnover to their backup catchers. In fact, quarterback Harrison Bader is dealing with a slanting strain that will keep him out of the regular season, so the Bombers are already complementing and looking for solutions.
On Sunday morning, the Yankees scratched starting first baseman Anthony Rizzo from the lineup, who is dealing with a lingering backfield problem considered chronic. Rizzo will have to go through a lot of workload management in 2023 to make sure he’s healthy for the long term, but already facing these issues before opening raises major concerns.
Anthony Rizzo (rear) was scratched from the Fort Myers ride. Aaron Boone said Rizzo’s back is “crazy” but that he expects him to play on Tuesday. He said it was “something we wanted to stay on top of”.
The Yankees approach Anthony Rizzo’s position with caution:
According to Boone, they are simply trying to stay ahead of the curve as far as Rizzo’s back is concerned, but this indicates that DJ LeMahieu will play a much larger role at first base than previously thought.
At 33 years old, Rizzo played 130 games last season, but that could drop in 2023 if his back problem continues to flare up. 224 with a 0.338 OBP, including a career-high 32 homers and 75 RBIs last year, he was awarded a two-year, $40 million extension with a 2025 club option.
The Yankees are simply showing precautions, which is necessary given that they’ve already lost several starters this spring. Fortunately, Anthony hits efficiently, hitting a .417 average and a .417 OBP across 12 at-bats, including five hits over the past few weeks.
