Anthony Rizzo hit his second extra-base hit since May 12. Yankees beat Twins 9-5 Wednesday night at the stadium.
He entered Wednesday’s game struggling, going 3-for-21 with a .650 OPS, good for 19th among first basemen.
Rizzo, who was 1-for-4 in the win, insisted Wednesday he was feeling “good.”
“It’s just a matter of taking a few good swings and landing the ball,” Rizzo said, “but you’ve got to actually try it.”
“It sucks when you’re in that situation. I’ve definitely been in that situation. You just have to stay positive and do your job and it will work out.”
The Yankees promoted Ben Rice, the team’s No. 12 ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, from Double-A Somerset to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The 25-year-old plays both catcher and first base.
“I think he can really hit and he’s really developed as a catcher the last few years,” manager Aaron Boone said of Rice, a left-handed hitter the Yankees selected in the 12th round out of Dartmouth College in the 2021 amateur draft. “His receiving has been really good. [and] “He’s obviously a smart kid, but he’s a really good hitter and I think organizations see that. He obviously has a chance to be a really good player.”
The Yankees also released Jose Rojas from his minor league contract.
Rojas was enrolled at SWB and spent most of his time at DH.
Giancarlo Stanton hasn’t played more than 110 games in a season since 2021, but he played in his 55th game on Wednesday night.
He’s also off to a much more productive start than last season’s disaster.
Asked before the game if he doubted he’d be able to return to the level he was at a year ago, Stanton paused for a moment before saying, “I think it was just a question of whether my body would allow it.”
He said he’s been able to maintain the weight thanks to losing 25 pounds in the offseason, but he’s been focusing more on movement.
“I want to keep it nimble,” Stanton said of his swing.
He’s mobile enough to play regularly and is producing his highest hard-hit percentage (54.8) since 2021.
The Yankees wisely removed Stanton from the outfield after he went 2-for-4 with 1 RBI in the win, but that limited the opportunities for other players to serve as DH.
“He was in a position to play at a really high level,” Boone said. “He was a real threat in the middle of the lineup and was a constant threat.”
As always, the key for Stanton is easy to highlight.
“A lot of it has to do with health and being in good shape,” Boone says, “but also commitment, determination and the ability to adjust.”
All-Star fan voting begins Wednesday, and while Juan Soto and Aaron Judge are presumed to be starting outfielders, Anthony Volpe boasts the third-highest WAR among American League shortstops, behind Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. and Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson.
