New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo left Sunday's game against the Boston Red Sox after colliding with pitcher Brennan Bernadino at first base, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
Anthony Rizzo was safe at first base, but fell to the ground and seemed to hurt his wrist as he braced for his fall. He immediately reached for his right hand or wrist after the fall, and left the game after Yankees trainers checked on him.
Although Rizzo has struggled mightily this season, the Yankees need as many corner infielders that they can get. That is likely going to be a position that the team targets this trade deadline, in part due to the disappointing performances of Rizzo and DJ LeMahieu this season. Still, Rizzo is a valued member of the clubhouse and the Yankees have been hopeful that he can turn things around this season.
The Yankees had the bases loaded and no outs as a result of Rizzo being safe at first. Oswaldo Cabrera pinch ran for Rizzo, and he moved to third base, while DJ LeMahieu moved over to first. If Rizzo has to miss any time, that is likely going to be the defensive alignment. As far as what the Yankees did with the opportunity to score, Gleyber Torres and Jose Trevino went on to strike out, and then LeMahieu flew out to center field to end the inning as the Red Sox maintained their 4-3 lead.
What is Anthony Rizzo's role on the 2024 Yankees?
For now, the Yankees have Rizzo as their every day first baseman. That could change by the trade deadline, and this injury potentially taking him out for a period of time forces Brian Cashman's hand even more to find corner infield help.
Rizzo's performance has been well below expectation this season, and that along brings up conversations about his role down the stretch this season. If Rizzo is healthy and this level of performance continues, there could be a scenario that he is a platoon bat at first base with LeMahieu. That scenario likely involves the Yankees trading for a third baseman.
The Yankees could also trade for a first baseman, and the main name that is potentially available is Pete Alonso of the New York Mets, and it seems unlikely that Brian Cashman would be able to land him. There are a ton of different routes for Cashman and the Yankees to go, and they will continue to evaluate the play of Rizzo and LeMahieu over the next few weeks to determine the best path forward.
Hopefully Rizzo's injury is not significant and does not keep him out very long, if at all. After Sunday's game against the Red Sox, the Yankees will face the Baltimore Orioles for a huge three-game set in the Bronx starting on Tuesday.
