MLB
Yankees star to miss the MLB playoffs and doubtful for the American League Division Series
Anthony Rizzo suffered an injury to the fourth and fifth fingers on his right hand and is a doubt for the ALDS. He remains on the active roster.
The New York Yankees ended the MLB regular season top of the American League standings with a 94-68 record, a place secured in the postseason with the luxury of being able to rest during the Wild Card Series.
The Bronx Bombers will return to action in the AL Division Series, with the first game scheduled for 5 October at Yankee Stadium. Their rivals will be the winners of the series between the Baltimore Orioles and the Kansas City Royals.
The Yankees’ first casualty ahead of the playoffs
Not everything has gone smoothly for Aaron Boone’s team. During the seventh innings of the weekend game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, first baseman Anthony Rizzo took the full force of a Ryan Borucki slider to his right hand which left him with two fractured fingers.
There is a glimmer of hope that he might be able to return later on in the AL Division Series - Rizzo has not been placed on the 10-day injury list but in the meantime, Boone will need to do some rotating.
Rizzo will remain on the active roster but if it turns out that he is unable to play Boone could turn to Oswaldo Cabrera, DJ LeMahieu or Ben Rice as his primary first baseman.
“I don’t want to jump to anything. We’ll see how he responds in the next several days before we kick this thing off in a week,” Boone told the media after Sunday’s win.
“We’ll see how the week unfolds, what his tolerance is, what’s realistic. But right now, he’s just trying to have a positive frame of mind about it. [Team physician] Chris Ahmad said this is an injury that lends itself to… a pain tolerance thing. It’s not something that you’re in jeopardy when you play. It’s just, can you handle it?” he added.
Rizzo meanwhile is hopeful of playing a part in the playoffs: “Yes, absolutely” he responded when asked about his chances of being in the ALDS. “In my mind, yes. In reality, I don’t know. We’ll see”.