TAMPA, Fla. — There’s a scene in “Ghostbusters” where Bill Murray’s character rants about a surge of ghosts terrorizing New York City. He sums it up like this:
“Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!”
The New York Yankees aren’t quite at that point. But Friday’s news surely felt for some in the organization like a light reminder of the brutal rash of injuries that tanked their 2023 season.
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First baseman Anthony Rizzo became the latest star who was too hurt to play when he yanked himself out of the lineup about 20 minutes before a 5-3 win over the New York Mets at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Friday. The culprit: a tight left lat.
“It won’t be an issue for Opening Day,” Rizzo said. “That’s for sure.”
Manager Aaron Boone was a bit more cautious. He used the word “hopefully” when discussing whether Rizzo will be ready for the first game of the season against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on March 28.
“We’ve got to make sure we’re good (Saturday), the next day, see how it progresses,” Boone said. “Seems like something he’s had a lot in the past.”
Aaron Boone on @YESNetwork about Anthony Rizzo's tight lat: "He didn't seem too concerned with it. He said it's something he has every now and then during the season, but just wanted to be certain." #Yankees
— Brendan Kuty 🧟♂️ (@BrendanKutyNJ) March 22, 2024
What happened with Rizzo?
Rizzo said he first started feeling pain in his lat on Thursday. It got worse Friday when he was warming up. He had been scheduled to hit fourth in the Yankees’ lineup.
It’s not the first time Rizzo has experienced the injury.
“For like the last 12 years, honestly,” he said.
He said that its recovery time can run a wide spectrum, and that in the past he might have pushed through the pain and made it worse. He said there have been times where it’s taken as many as eight days to heal and other times where it’s needed just two.
“This is precaution at the fullest,” he said, “just knowing where we’re at this spring training and this moment. Again, it’s just being smart. Younger me would have just pushed through and to play and get a spring training game in. But it’s just not worth it.”
He added, “I’m not going to risk it turning into something that can be really bad.”
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Catcher Luis Torrens, who played lots of first base in winter ball this offseason, stepped into Rizzo’s place in the lineup.
“He didn’t seem worried about it,” Boone said of Rizzo.
Rizzo said that he could potentially play Sunday or on Monday — the final spring training game of the year.
“But at this point, I’m ready to go,” Rizzo said.
Recent injury woes
About a week and a half ago, the Yankees’ spring of good vibes started to go sour. Aaron Judge felt pain in his abs, and though an MRI didn’t show any damage, he didn’t play in games from March 10-19. Judge said he feels good and even played left field for the first time Friday, but he’s also hit just .167 with no home runs in 18 at-bats this spring. Boone said that Judge’s first nine-inning game might come on Opening Day.
The day after the Yankees revealed Judge’s injury, doctors decided that ace Gerrit Cole — the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner — would need an MRI on his right pitching elbow. Cole was having difficulty rebounding between throwing sessions this spring, allowing him to pitch in just one spring training game. Eventually, Cole flew to Los Angeles, where an orthopedic surgeon outside of the Yankees determined that Cole wouldn’t need Tommy John surgery and instead had nerve inflammation and edema. The 34-year-old isn’t expected to return until possibly June.
And last weekend, third baseman DJ LeMahieu fouled a ball off the middle of his right foot. He hasn’t played in a game since, though Friday he progressed to running in the outfield and playing catch. But his status for Opening Day appears in doubt.
“He’s got a long way to go to be at the point where he’s ready to play,” Boone said.
Last season, the Yankees put 28 players on the injured list — the sixth-most in MLB — with injuries to Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Rizzo, LeMahieu, Carlos Rodón and Nestor Cortes particularly contributing to their fourth-place finish in the American League East.
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Options if Rizzo doesn’t heal quickly
While Rizzo said he’ll be ready for Opening Day, he added that in the past it’s taken more than a week for the pain to go away. LeMahieu typically serves as the Yankees’ backup first baseman, but he’s hurt. Boone said Oswaldo Cabrera could fill in at the position. He said Torrens and Jose Rojas could be in the mix, too.
Either way, it’s not an ideal situation for the Yankees, who went into the season relying on LeMahieu — a 35-year-old playing third base as his primary position for the first time — and Rizzo, who’s 34 and dealt with post-concussion symptoms through most of last year.
(Photo of Anthony Rizzo: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)
