Yankees Anthony Rizzo Not Back to Former Self Since Returning From Back Injury

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Anthony Rizzo will get Friday off against lefty JP Sears, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after Thursday’s win over the Athletics. Boone said Rizzo has kept his back healthy since returning from injury earlier this month.

But since the injury became known, Rizzo’s numbers have been going down.

Rizzo has only hit 11-for-57 in his last 15 games, which includes the game on August 3 when he said he was feeling sick. He has three doubles, a home run, five walks, and 21 strikeouts.

His statistics for the season are still quite impressive.

Rizzo is the only Yankees player with more home runs, RBIs, and a higher OPS and OPS-plus than the otherworldly Aaron Judge.

Still, Rizzo has struck out more often (19%) than in any previous full year, and his batting average has dropped to .224, which is lower than in any other year except for 2020, when he was with the Cubs and the season was cut short because of COVID.

It has been reported by scouts that he does not appear to be in perfect health and that he is chasing more pitches than is typical for him.

One thing usually leads to the other, so it’s not surprising, one AL scout said. But I think if he’s playing, they’re confident he’s gonna find his way back.

Clay Holmes threw live batting practice Friday and had no back issues. Right-hander expressed optimism he’d be active soon and was ready to pitch. Boone will decide Holmes’ role once he returns to the bullpen, but the Yankees don’t have a closer.

Since the Cardinals traded for Bader, Domingo German hasn’t been able to do as well as Jordan Montgomery. In four of his last five starts, German has pitched at least five innings and given up no more than two runs.

German could play a role in the Yankees’ bullpen with Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes (if healthy), and Frankie Montas as starters.

German has experience pitching as a reliever, and with the bullpen filled with question marks, including Scott Effross, Holmes, Miguel Castro, Albert Abreu and Zack Britton, his multifaceted effectiveness could prove valuable in October.

For now, the Yankees will keep him in the rotation. Since Cortes moved to the IL, his start against the A’s was moved from Sunday to Saturday. Clarke Schmidt went in the last game of the series against the A’s.

Before Thursday, Josh Donaldson hadn’t had a game with more than one hit in 12 games. During that time, he was just 6-for-44 with a home run, four walks, and 17 strikeouts.

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