Anthony Rizzo missed the ALDS against the Kansas City Royals after getting drilled on the hand by a pitch in the final regular season series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The New York Yankees first baseman needed a bit more time to recover and now Rizzo is back on the ALCS roster, but it doesn’t mean he’s playing pain-free against the Cleveland Guardians.
Here’s the hit by pitch that happened on Sept. 28, when Pirates lefty Ryan Borucki broke two of Rizzo’s fingers on his right hand.
MLB: Rizzo broke two fingers. Yankees 1B suffered HBP vs Pirates; may still play in postseason pic.twitter.com/tXlkHyq1Fk
— Alain Keith Cabardo Daguio (@keithdaguio) September 29, 2024
It’s been a little more than two weeks since that incident and while Rizzo feels capable enough to play he’s going to be doing it with two broken fingers.
Rizzo ended the 2024 regular season with a total of 375 plate appearances, missing time with a forearm fracture from June into September. The left-handed hitter posted the worst numbers of his career since his rookie campaign this season, recording an 84 wRC+, slashing .228/.301/.335.
Regardless, how can you not admire Rizzo’s gutsiness.
There’s no doubt Rizzo has always been a player who wants to be out there every day. I still remember the 2019 season, when Rizzo suffered a severe ankle sprain, missed a series, but then returned to the Cubs’ starting lineup in time for a crucial four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Rizzo ended up homering in that game for the Cubs when he very-much could have been on the injured list. But he showed up when the Cubs were still fighting for a playoff spot.
However, Yankees fans don’t seem to care very much about how tough Rizzo is right now because there’s been a lot of criticism coming from that fan base ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Guardians in regards to Rizzo being on the ALCS roster.
Rizzo is penciled into the Yankees starting lineup, batting eighth.
Meanwhile, another former Cubs player is also back on the Yankees ALCS roster, as Marcus Stroman was added to the 26-player list after being left off the ALDS roster.
Can Rizzo prove his haters wrong? We’ll see as the ALCS begins Monday night at Yankee Stadium.
