NEW YORK — Anthony Rizzo is back on the New York Yankees‘ injured list, this time because of a broken right forearm that will sideline him until August, and pitchers Ian Hamilton and Cody Poteet also are hurt.
New York put the 34-year-old first baseman on the 10-day IL on Tuesday, two days after he collided with Boston pitcher Brennan Bernardino at Fenway Park. Bernardino was covering the bag to take the throw from first baseman Dominic Smith on Rizzo’s grounder. Rizzo tumbled to the ground in foul territory after crossing the bag safely and fell on his right arm.
Rizzo said he won’t participate in baseball activities for four-to-five weeks, and the Yankees estimated eight weeks for a return to the major league roster.
New York selected the contract of first baseman/catcher Ben Rice from triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and he was to make his big league debut against Baltimore on Tuesday night.
Hamilton has a moderate right lat strain and won’t throw for three-to-four weeks. The right-hander, who turned 29 on Sunday, was to receive a PRP injection Tuesday night.
Poteet, a 29-year-old right-hander, has a strained right triceps.
Left-handers Clayton Andrews and Anthony Misiewicz were also called up from triple-A. Misiewicz and Rice were both added to the 40-man roster, and New York said corresponding moves would be announced later.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone was to arrive at Tuesday’s game late after attending his son’s high school graduation.
A three-time all-star, Rizzo is hitting .223 with eight homers, 28 RBIs and a .630 OPS. He began June in a 1-for-34 slide before going 4 for 14 with a home run and three RBIs in his last five games.
Rizzo’s 2023 season was wrecked on May 28 when he collided with San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. while trying to apply a tag on a pickoff attempt. Rizzo sustained a concussion and hit .174 with 10 RBIs in 47 games after the collision, leaving him with a .244 average, 12 homers and 41 RBIs.
A World Series champion with the 2016 Chicago Cubs, Rizzo has a .262 career average with 303 homers, 958 RBIs and four Gold Gloves.
Rizzo has a $17 million salary in the second season of a $40 million, two-year contract. The Yankees have a $17 million option for 2025 with a $6 million buyout.
Rice was hitting .275 with 15 homers and 26 RBIs in 49 games this year with Double-A Somerset and Scranton. Promoted to triple-A on June 5, he batted .333 with three homers, 10 RBIs and a 1.059 OPS in 11 games with the RailRiders. Rice was a 12th-round pick from Dartmouth in the 2021 amateur draft.
