Yankees star Aaron Judge was taken out of the starting lineup for Sunday’s rain-delayed season finale against Pittsburgh, and first baseman Ben Rice was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre after Anthony Rizzo got injured.
Judge was originally set to play center field but was replaced by Trent Grisham just as the Yankees announced the game would not start on time at 3:05 p.m. The field was wet for about the first five innings of New York’s 6-4 victory, which began after a 91-minute delay.
Judge had a day off on Friday, following the clinching of the AL East title, and returned on Saturday, where he went 0 for 5, tying his career high with five strikeouts. He is hitting .322 and leads the majors with 58 home runs and 144 RBIs.
“Once I went out there, it was wet and then we went into the delay, I just said, I don’t want you out there,” manager Aaron Boone said.
Rizzo fractured the fourth and fifth fingers on his right hand after being hit by a pitch from Pittsburgh’s Ryan Borucki in the seventh inning of Saturday’s 9-4 loss to the Pirates. This was the 222nd time Rizzo has been hit by a pitch.
New York has not put Rizzo on the injured list because he said he felt much better than when he fractured his right forearm in a collision at first base with Boston reliever Brennan Bernardino on June 16.
“Like my elbow, I’ve never gone through this before so I’m going off my elbow,” Rizzo said. “I feel 10 times better than my elbow felt. It felt a lot better than expected this morning and throughout the day.”
Rizzo also mentioned that he will receive treatment for the next few days before determining if he can play when the Yankees have their workout on Friday ahead of the division series opener against Baltimore or Kansas City on Saturday.
“I’ll be honest with the team,” Rizzo said. “I’m not going to try to come in and play if I can’t, but I’ll definitely do my best. Hopefully it’s sooner than later.”
Rice played 49 games at first base and was initially called up after Rizzo’s first injury.
Drafted as a catcher from Dartmouth in 2021, Rice had a batting average of .171 with seven home runs and 23 RBIs. Defensively, he made two errors in 289 chances, resulting in a .993 fielding percentage.
“He’s obviously gained a lot of experience at first base this year and I feel like he handled that all really well,” Boone said. “I feel like he handled himself defensively, maybe even better than I anticipated.”
Rice struggled after hitting three home runs against the Red Sox on July 7, batting .117 (11 for 94) in his final 31 games before being sent back to the minors on Aug. 31. While at Triple-A, Rice batted .293 with 12 home runs and 33 RBIs in 30 games.
Rizzo hit .228 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs in 92 games this season, including .380 (8 for 21) since coming back from the injured list on Sept. 1.
A three-time All-Star, Rizzo’s 2023 season was impacted on May 28 when he collided with San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. while trying to tag him.
He was diagnosed with a concussion two months later and hit .174 with 10 RBIs in 47 games after the collision, finishing with a .244 average, 12 home runs, and 41 RBIs.
The Yankees traded for Rizzo from the Cubs at the 2021 deadline and re-signed him to a $40 million, two-year deal after he had a .224 average with 32 home runs and 75 RBIs in 130 games in 2022. New York has a $17 million option for 2025 with a $6 million buyout.
Cabrera, who has started five games at first base, could also be an option.
DJ LeMahieu has not played since Sept. 3 due to right hip impingement but will take part in workouts ahead of the ALDS.
