Rizzo could miss 4-6 weeks with arm fracture (report)

BOSTON — The Yankees will be without first baseman Anthony Rizzo for an extended period, after he injured his right hand and wrist on a seventh-inning collision during New York’s 9-3 loss to the Red Sox on Sunday evening at Fenway Park.

He is expected to miss four to six weeks with an arm fracture, according to a report from The Athletic on Monday. The team has not confirmed the news.

Reaching base on an error charged to first baseman Dominic Smith, Rizzo slammed into pitcher Brennan Bernardino, then tumbled beyond the bag. Rizzo appeared in immediate discomfort, remaining down for several moments before leaving for a pinch-runner, Oswaldo Cabrera.

“When he didn’t get up right away, I could tell he was in some pain,” manager Aaron Boone said.

The results of a fluoroscope taken at Fenway Park were negative, but Rizzo received further imaging on Monday in New York.

“You don’t see that [pain] from Rizz,” said captain Aaron Judge. “Usually he leads Major League Baseball in hit-by-pitches, so he’s good with dealing with pain. He’s tough.”

It has been a rough 12 months for Rizzo, whose 2023 season was derailed by a collision with the Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. at Yankee Stadium last May. Rizzo’s offensive production plummeted markedly after that event, and he would eventually be placed on the injured list with post-concussion syndrome.

Though Rizzo has said multiple times that he is beyond any concussion-related issues, his numbers have dipped each month this year. Including a hitless showing on Sunday, Rizzo is just 5-for-48 (.104) in June, with one double, one homer and three RBIs.

“The past week or so, the guy has been swinging the bat well and came up with some big hits,” Judge said. “He had a homer against Kansas City. We’re going to miss him, but the first thing is health.”

With Rizzo land headed for the injured list, the Yankees could have DJ LeMahieu play more regularly at first base, with Cabrera seeing more time at third base — the defensive alignment they used to complete Sunday’s game.

There are also a pair of promising first-base options at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, though neither is on the 40-man roster.

Catcher/first baseman Ben Rice is off to a hot start after a recent promotion from Double-A Somerset, tallying 14 hits in 42 at-bats (.333) with three homers and 10 RBIs at Triple-A. Rice is the Yankees’ No. 12 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

T.J. Rumfield has also been one of the RailRiders’ most consistent hitters, posting a .303/.358/.454 slash line with five homers and 32 RBIs in 47 Triple-A games through Sunday.