The Yankees will get Anthony Rizzo back soon (possibly as early as Saturday), but it's unclear what type of first baseman they'll be getting.
Will he be the slugger who got off to a hot start a year ago, or the slugger who's struggled for most of the past three seasons?
He struggled in the second half of 2022 and into '23, never producing at all until he broke his right arm on an inadvertent baserunning play on June 16 at Boston.
Rizzo went 2-for-8 with one home run in his fifth minor-league rehab game with Double-A Somerset on Friday night, and the Yankees wanted him to play the majority of at least one game at first base before returning him to the Bronx.
And despite Rizzo's poor hitting before the injury, manager Aaron Boone said Friday that the Yankees are confident he can still be a valuable part of the offense.
“He says he's feeling good, and that's important,” Boone said before the Yankees open their series against the Cardinals at the stadium. “I'm excited to see what he can bring to the table.”
Asked if he still thinks Rizzo is the force he once was, Boone said, “We view him as Anthony Rizzo and hope he can become a real cog in our lineup, but you never know.”
Boone said Rizzo is ready to contribute.
“I think he's in good shape physically and mentally,” Boone said. “He's eager to get back, he's fighting to get back, and I know how important he can be both defensively and defensively from a lineup standpoint, so I think he's in good shape mentally and I expect him to have a good run for us.”
But at 35 years old, it's natural to wonder how much he can deliver, especially given his recent injury history.
“He's been doing well physically the last few weeks,” Boone said. “He's been recovering really well.”
Rizzo is one of several injured players the Yankees hope will return in September, including Jon Bertie (calf) and Ian Hamilton (back).
Since Rizzo injured his arm in mid-June, the Yankees have struggled to find a home at first base, with DJ LeMahieu and Ben Rice both struggling for much of the year.
Berti, who has been out since late May with a calf strain, will add depth at third base behind defensively shaky Jazz Chisholm Jr.
It's unclear what the Yankees' roster and lineup will look like after the returns of Rizzo and Bertie, but it's likely Rice will be optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Rice faced St. Louis right-hander Erick Fedde on Friday.
LeMahieu has struggled at the plate all season.
Berti was acquired from the Marlins in exchange for catcher Ben Rotvedt, who was traded to Tampa Bay in a three-team trade just before Opening Day.
The Yankees don't have many options right now other than to hope Rizzo can regain the form he showed at times in his first two-plus seasons with the team since being acquired from the Cubs at the 2021 trade deadline.
