The New York Yankees will be getting reinforcements on Wednesday, with star first baseman Anthony Rizzo returning to the batting order. Rizzo was scratched from the lineup last Friday with a lower back injury, an issue he’s been dealing with for years that requires load management every season.
Rizzo has already missed a few games due to the lower back issue, but after five days of rest and rehabilitation, he’s ready to re-join the team. Rizzo will take over first base once again, with Gleyber Torres manning the designated hitter spot, moving DJ LeMahieu to second base, his most proficient defensive position.
Over the past few days, DJ has been starting at first base with Gleyber at second, Isiah Kiner-Falefa at shortstop, and Josh Donaldson at third base. This is the normal lineup, but with Matt Carpenter suffering a fractured foot, the Yankees had to make other plans for the DH role.
Once Giancarlo Stanton returns from injury, which could be within the next week or two, he should slot right back into DH.
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The Yankees need Rizzo back to help offensively:
In the meantime, Rizzo will provide his quality bat to the Yankees lineup. This season, he’s hitting .227 with a 34.7% on-base rate and .511 slugging percentage. He’s hit 27 homers this year with 66 RBIs. Having recorded a career-high of 32 homers in 2017, Rizzo is well on his way to smashing that personal best.
On the year, he features a 42.9% hard-hit rate, 11.8% barrel rate, and 90.1 mph of exit velocity, all career highs. His 50.2% flyball rate and 46.4% pull rate have boosted his home run numbers tremendously.
After the Yankees failed to score a single run against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night, going 13 innings with no production, they will welcome Rizzo back with open arms. Hopefully, he can give them the extra boost to get back on the win column with Robbie Ray on the mound for Seattle. Ray hosts a 3.96 ERA this season, giving up 11 runs in his last three performances.