Anthony Rizzo goes homerless for 40 games: What ails him

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DENVER — Anthony Rizzo‘s ongoing home run drought has reached a new milestone, marking the longest stretch without a home run in his career. He has not hit a single home run in the last 40 games he played.

Despite playing at Coors Field, known for its high altitude and home run-friendly conditions, Anthony Rizzo’s struggle to hit home runs continued in the Yankees’ 6-3 victory over the Rockies. He went 1-for-4 with a single, extending his homerless streak to 40 games since May 20.

During his homerless stretch, spanning 164 plate appearances, Anthony Rizzo’s inability to hit a home run has been surprising, considering his experience and reputation as a veteran first baseman for the Yankees.

Before Saturday’s game, Manager Aaron Boone acknowledged the difficulty of baseball, emphasizing that even highly skilled players like Anthony Rizzo face challenges in the sport.

During the earlier years of his career, from 2011 to 2012, Anthony Rizzo experienced a 46-game stretch without hitting a home run, but that period covered only 153 plate appearances, which is significantly shorter than his current drought.

Anthony Rizzo’s strong start fizzles out

Anthony Rizzo had a strong start to the season, hitting 11 home runs in his first 46 games, reaching that milestone by May 20th. Just over a week later, he had a collision with Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres while attempting a pickoff at first base. The collision resulted in a stiff neck that forced Anthony Rizzo to miss three games.

On Saturday, Boone provided an update on Anthony Rizzo’s condition, stating that his neck is no longer an issue. The manager also mentioned that the 33-year-old is currently in excellent physical shape, possibly the best he has been since joining the team.

After missing three games due to the neck problem, Anthony Rizzo’s performance at the plate has been subpar. Prior to Saturday’s game, he had a batting average of only .171 and an OPS of .514 over a span of 32 games.

The absence of Aaron Judge during most of that period has amplified the impact of Rizzo’s diminished production and power.

Boone admits the initial slump was due to the neck issue

The Yankees manager acknowledged that Anthony Rizzo faced difficulties immediately after returning from his neck injury, experiencing a two-week period of poor performance and struggles at the plate. However, Boone also noted that in the last three weeks or so, Anthony Rizzo has shown improvement, displaying better swings, getting hits, and reaching base more consistently.

Boone emphasized the challenge of hitting for power and hitting the ball out of the ballpark, highlighting that it becomes even more difficult when players start chasing pitches. He stressed the importance of maintaining focus on having quality at-bats and trusting that the power will naturally follow.

“I feel like right when he came back from the neck, he had two weeks where he really struggled, where he wasn’t swinging very good,” Boone said. “I do feel like the last three weeks or so, he’s been better, where he’s getting his hits a little bit, he’s getting on base a little bit. 

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