NEW YORK One week before the New York Yankees are set to begin the postseason, first baseman Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch on Saturday, breaking two fingers in his right hand. Manager Aaron Boone made this announcement following the Yankees’ 9-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium.
In the eighth inning, left-hander Ryan Borucki hit Rizzo with a slider that reached 88 mph. A trainer attended to him as soon as he grasped his hand in anguish. He didn’t take the field for the eighth inning, but he started the game by staying in to run.
Boone stated that Rizzo’s playoff status is uncertain. After the game, Rizzo was not available to speak with the media.
“We’ll see what we have as the week moves forward,” Boone stated. He is not completely ruled out, though. We’ll see what we have as the days go by because it’s a pain tolerance issue.”
The 2024 season will go down as Rizzo’s poorest offensive campaign ever with the Yankees’ season finale on Sunday. A good defender at first base, the 14-year veteran had a $17 million team option and a $6 million buyout for the next season. However, he finished the season with career lows in batting average (.228), on-base percentage (.301), slugging percentage (.335), and home runs (8) through 92 games.
When he was hit at first base by the Boston Red Sox in June and broke his right forearm, he missed more than two months of action. Upon being activated off the injured list on September 1, he posted a slash line of.247/.345/.315 in 22 games, with zero home runs and five doubles total.
Ben Rice, a catcher by trade with little first-base experience, was called up by the Yankees in response to Rizzo’s initial injury, and he was mostly used at first base during his first major league trip. In the event that Rizzo is unavailable for the postseason, Boone on Saturday mentioned Rice as a potential substitute. Another possibility is Oswaldo Cabrera, the utility man.
Over his first 17 games, Rice, 25, got off to a scorching start, which was capped off by his three-home run outburst on July 6 against the Red Sox. He had a.294 batting average and a.972 OPS at the end of the day. The next 32 games saw him slash.112/.209/.235 with three home runs; after that, he was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where in 19 games, he batted.269 with nine home runs and a 1.107 OPS.
Rice will “definitely be in the mix,” according to Boone.
This season, Cabrera made his five career starts at first base and is hitting.247 with an OPS of.661. He began at shortstop on Friday and moved to first base to relieve Rizzo for the last two innings on Saturday.
It’s unclear if he or Rice will be required to take Rizzo’s spot during the playoffs.
Boone explained, “It’s a pain tolerance thing.” “Playing doesn’t put you in danger of things getting worse. Only, ‘Can you manage it?'”
Star Juan Soto and Hal Steinbrenner met in secret in July before his free agency.
The Juan Soto sweepstakes will be the main event of the 2024–2025 MLB offseason. Shohei Ohtani’s decision to enter the free agency market was the main topic of the previous season, and Ohtani did not dissapoint, inking one of the most intriguing contracts in MLB history.
It is now anticipated that Soto will ink a deal that exceeds $500 million, with the New York Yankees and New York Mets being the top contenders to land the big-time player. During Yankees home games, supporters have frequently chanted “Re-sign Soto!” as part of their efforts to show support for Soto. To help Soto feel appreciated and loved in the Bronx, the Yankees front office is also contributing.
Because of Soto’s comfort level and knowledge with the Yankees and their personnel, the Yankees will have an advantage over the Mets and any other contenders in the Soto sweepstakes.
With the July meeting, Yankees owner has an early advantage in the Soto sweepstakes.
According to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, Hal Steinbrenner, the owner of the Yankees, met with Soto in private back in July.
Kuty reported that part of the information-gathering process involved a private meeting between Soto and a key figure in the upcoming free agency market: Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner. This previously undisclosed meeting, which took place in July at Yankee Stadium near the home clubhouse, involved one of baseball’s top free agents and the owner of one of its wealthiest teams. Such meetings are rare in baseball, especially in a large market like New York. Kuty mentioned that much of Steinbrenner and Soto’s discussion revolved around Soto’s experience with the Yankees after being traded from the San Diego Padres.
“Seeing (an owner) come over, even just to say hello, is always nice to see how we’re doing, what we have planned, and this and that,” Soto remarked. Having an owner that genuinely cares about the players is fantastic.
The 25-year-old Soto is performing at his best. With a career-high 41 home runs and a predicted top-3 AL MVP finish, he is slashing.288/.418/.571. His focus is now on the postseason, where he hopes to play a major role in helping the Yankees win another World Series—their 28th overall and first since 2009—in the postseason.
Soto is currently focused on the postseason. A strong postseason can help the Yankees increase their chances of keeping him around. That should come as no surprise given Soto is a client of Scott Boras and they frequently experiment with free agency. Though Steinbrenner got to know the young superstar, giving Soto the money he desires is the most crucial thing any organization can do. We’ll find out after the playoffs, and winter has officially begun.
