The New York Yankees have announced their 26-man roster for the upcoming ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians, and Anthony Rizzo was added after suffering a late-season finger fracture. It’s unclear how much of a role he’ll play in the series and it’s also unclear whether he fully recovered from the injury or not, but he is one of two additions made to the roster between the ALDS and ALCS. Ben Rice and Duke Ellis were removed from the roster, giving the Yankees two extra spots, and they added their veteran first baseman as they look to have depth at a position where they’ve been shaky at all year.
It’s not as if Rizzo has been stellar either, boasting an 84 wRC+ with a -0.2 fWAR on the season, and with the way Oswaldo Cabrera and Jon Berti played in the first round, it’ll be interesting to see how their playing time shifts.
Anthony Rizzo Re-Joins the Yankees Ahead of ALCS Matchup With Cleveland
This season hasn’t been one to remember for Anthony Rizzo, he suffered two freak injuries throughout the season with an arm fracture in June against the Red Sox and a finger fracture in September against the Pirates. The Yankees are hoping that he can provide some defense at first base, but there’s reason to question whether he’s their best option at the moment.
Oswaldo Cabrera and Jon Berti looked excellent at first base in the ALDS, making big plays that kept the Royals’ offense at bay in what was a close series from start to finish. Furthermore, both of them have displayed more offensive upside than Rizzo has this season, as they swing a slightly better bat and have plenty more speed.
Rizzo’s speed has completely withered away, as he is the only player on the Yankees with a worse Sprint Speed than Giancarlo Stanton this season.
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Oswaldo Cabrera specifically had a great series, getting on base at a high clip and adding a double as well. He has a 107 wRC+ against right-handed pitching this season and has posted a 110 wRC+ over his last 49 games. If Anthony Rizzo is feeling good and the Yankees believe the defensive data for Cabrera isn’t large enough to trust him full-time at first base, that could serve as a reason to make a change at first base.
The compromise might be allowing Oswaldo Cabrera to start against righties, Jon Berti against lefties, and then Anthony Rizzo can come in late in the game with a lead to ensure that their defense is crisp at first base. The Yankees begin their best-of-seven set with the Guardians tonight at Yankee Stadium as Carlos Rodon toes the slab against Alex Cobb at 7:38 PM EST.