Anthony

Rizzo

The former Cubs and Yankees first baseman will be honored this Saturday at Wrigley Field and then will become an ambassador for the Cubs organization. His last three seasons were impacted by a recurring back injury that prevented Rizzo from reaching the highs that he’d shown for the majority of his career. Still, Rizzo played 14 years in the big leagues and finishes his career with 303 home runs, 922 runs, 965 RBI, and 72 steals to go along with a .261/.361/.467 slash line.

The 35-year-old slugger has been looking for work since November when the Yankees declined his $17 million club option for 2025. He missed nearly half of last season due to a fractured forearm, ultimately slashing just .228/.301/.335 with eight homers and 35 RBI over 375 plate appearances. Rizzo has already stated that he’s not interested in playing for the league minimum, which likely rules out the possibility of an incentive-laden minor league contract. It may wind up requiring a team to suffer an injury at first base to turn to Rizzo as a depth option.

Rizzo will get a $6 million buyout. The 35-year-old suffered a fractured forearm and was limited to 92 games last season, hitting just .228/.301/.335. It seems unlikely that a contender will take him on as a starting first baseman, but a lesser team might.

The Yankees are sticking with the same lineup from Game 1: 2B Gleyber Torres, RF Juan Soto, CF Aaron Judge, DH Giancarlo Stanton, 3B Jazz Chisholm Jr., 1B Rizzo, SS Anthony Volpe, C Austin Wells and LF Alex Verdugo. Carlos Rodon is on the mound as the Yankees try to even the series before shifting back to New York for Game 3.

The Yankees are using the same lineup they did in Game 5 of the ALCS: 2B Gleyber Torres, RF Juan Soto, CF Aaron Judge, DH Giancarlo Stanton, 3B Jazz Chisholm Jr., 1B Rizzo, SS Anthony Volpe, C Austin Wells and LF Alex Verdugo. With no lefties in the Dodgers’ rotation, this might just be the lineup throughout the Series.

Rizzo played for the first time in weeks in Game 1 of the ALCS for the Yankees in their victory, and the 35-year-old was able to reach twice. There’s a chance that the veteran won’t be out there against southpaws, but with right-hander Tanner Bibee on the bump, Rizzo will hope to help the Yankees take a 2-0 lead in the series. The full lineup: 2B Gleyber Torres, RF Juan Soto, CF Aaron Judge, C Austin Wells, DH Giancarlo Stanton, 3B Jazz Chisholm Jr., SS Anthony Volpe, 1B Rizzo and LF Alex Verdugo.

Rizzo is just two weeks removed from fracturing two fingers. He missed the entire ALDS against the Royals but is not only back on the active roster but in the starting lineup for the Yankees. That will push both Jon Berti and Oswaldo Cabrera back to bench roles.

Rizzo was held out of the ALDS after fracturing two fingers in the final week of the season. The veteran struggled again in 2024, slashing .228/.301/.355 in 92 games; however, he provides defensive value at the position and the Yankees haven’t gotten much from their other options either. Ben Rice will be left off the ALCS in a corresponding move.

Rizzo was deemed a “long shot” by both manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman in recent days. The Yankees are likely to go with Ben Rice and potentially DJ LeMahieu at first base if the latter is healthy enough to make the roster. It remains to be seen if Rizzo will be able to make it back for the ALCS if the Yankees advance, but the first baseman is optimistic about his chances.

Rizzo fractured two fingers while being hit by a pitch during a game against the Pirates last Saturday. Cashman mentioned that, up until this point, Rizzo has yet to attempt any baseball activities as he looks to make his way back onto the field. The veteran has been spending time on the field with his teammates and “is presenting well without doing any activity,” but until he starts doing baseball activities, it’s hard to see how he can get back on the field. As the Yankees prepare to play without Rizzo, the team has had Ben Rice, Oswaldo Cabrera, Trent Grisham, and Jon Berti take grounders at first base to try to give themselves as many options as possible.