When the New York Yankees begin the ALDS against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday evening they will not have Anthony Rizzo available to them.
Rizzo was ruled out for the series after the Yankees first baseman suffered two fractured fingers in last weekend’s series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ben Rice and Oswaldo Cabrera will be the starting options for manager Aaron Boone in place of Rizzo.
Rizzo suffered the broken fingers after he was was hit by a Ryan Borucki pitch. After being tended to by Yankees head athletic trainer Tim Lentych, Rizzo remained in the game and took first base. When the game moved to the top of the eighth, he was replaced in the field.
Afterward, Boone was not ready to rule Rizzo out for any part of the postseason as there was hope that, with the Yankees having five full days off before playing again, the fingers could heal quick enough for Rizzo to play.
That wasn’t the case as Rizzo, a four-time Gold Glove winner, said on Friday the ability to hit and catch is not where he needs it to be at the moment.
“Gutting through it, I wouldn’t be able to be my best version defensively or offensively,” Rizzo said. “I had to be honest with myself, and it’s tough but this team has a different aura right now and a different energy that I’m confident hopefully in the next round to join them.”
Earlier this season, Rizzo missed 62 games after fracturing his right forearm during a collision with Boston Red Sox reliever Brennan Bernardino in June. Since he returned to the lineup on Sept. 1, he finished the regular season batting .380 with eight hits and seven RBI.
Rizzo has been hit eight times in 335 at-bats this season and 222 times over his 14-year career, the eighth-most in MLB history.
Should the Yankees advance past the Royals, the ALCS will begin on Oct. 14.