Anthony Rizzo was scratched before Friday night’s game in St. Louis with lower back tightness.
He was part of the original starting lineup against Cardinals.
It’s the second time in a month the first baseman has dealt with the issue, as he was knocked out of the lineup in Pittsburgh and it led to Rizzo missing four games, in what he said was a back spasm issue he dealt with nearly every year.
He has now homered in four consecutive Yankees games, and is currently second with 27 homers on the Yankees, behind only Aaron Judge.
After Judge’s first half for the record books, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he has seen opposing teams pitch the slugger differently.
Judge’s handling of this will determine the success of the Yankee offense down the stretch.
Judge came into Friday’s game against the Cardinals in St. Louis having walked seven times in his four previous games. He tries to be patient while the teams battle to keep him from getting beaten.
“He does get pitched around some,’’ Boone said. “We’ve seen that more lately, teams blatantly pitching around him. He’s done a really good job of having quality at-bats.”
And as Boone noted: “Eventually, they’ve got to pitch to guys. We’ve got a pretty formidable lineup.”
Frankie Montas will join the Yankees Saturday ahead of his debut with them on Sunday. After the death of his mother, the right-hander is now on the bereavement waiting list. Boone said Montas was able to throw a bullpen session at his home in Arizona, so he’ll be ready to go.
Boone indicated that he had spoken with Zack Britton who was in rehab after the lefty reliever pitched live batting practice on Thursday.
“He’s real excited,’’ Boone said of Britton, who has been out since undergoing elbow surgery last year. “His sinker looked good. I think the biggest thing is the next day, he felt really good.”
Britton will throw a bullpen session next weekend, before another live batting practice is held in the middle week.
The Yankees are still hesitant to set a timetable for his return.
“[The rehab] has gone well every step of the way,’’ Boone said. “He’s been really encouraged… But we don’t want to put some kind of expectation. We’ll see if and when he becomes a factor for us.”
The Yankees have claimed right-hander Luke Bard. He was designated for assignment on Tuesday by the Rays. He was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he’ll serve as bullpen depth.
At the Yankees’ trade deadline, the bullpen was a key focus. They acquired Lou Trivino from The Athletics and Scott Effross (from the Cubs) to offset the loss of Chad Green & Michael King to elbow surgery.
Bard, 31 years old, pitched sparingly to Tampa Bay but was still effective.
Bard allowed three earned run in eight relief appearances over 14 innings with a WHIP 1.00.
To make room for Garrett Cleavinger (the left-hander they acquired at deadline), the Rays have released Bard.
He spent his first three years with the Angels.
Right-hander Carlos Espinal was called up on Tuesday from SWB following the trade deadline moves. He was then outrighted and sent back to Triple-A on Friday.
Derek Dietrich is a veteran SWB infielder who was tested positive for a banned stimulant. Dietrich made his last appearance in the majors in 2020 for the Rangers.
This 33-year-old had a.850 OPS and 220 plate appearances in this season’s SWB and Double A Somerset seasons.
Source: NY Post
