Yankees' Anthony Rizzo Breaks Silence on Unexpected Benching

Anthony Rizzo spoke out about being pulled from the Yankees' starting lineup for two days straight.

May 17, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (48) at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Rizzo has had a tough start to the 2024 MLB season. 

After going 1-for-29 at the plate to begin the month of June, the New York Yankees' first baseman and three-time All-Star was benched during the final game of New York’s series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and the first game of their series with the Kansas City Royals.

Being a healthy scratch is uncommon for Rizzo, as he has been a mainstay at first base ever since getting traded to New York at the 2021 trade deadline. 

Rizzo recently spoke with Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News about his prolonged slump this season, and expressed optimism about what the future holds.

“It’ll click,” Rizzo said of his swing. “I feel like it’s close to clicking, actually. I know it may not look like it, but I do feel like it’s close.”

Although he was back at first base and hitting sixth for Tuesday’s contest, the 34-year-old went 0-for-5 in the Yankees' 10-1 win over the Royals.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone addressed Rizzo’s absence from the lineup on Sunday by saying, “There’s no question over the last two, three weeks especially, it’s been a little bit of a struggle [for Rizzo]," the skipper told reporters. "I think sometimes when you’re going through it and you’re making little adjustments, they don’t always take right away.”

And New York’s hitting coach James Rowson asserts that these “little adjustments” are all tied to Rizzo’s timing.

“If you’re on time consistently, what happens is, you’re able to get off your swing consistently the way you want to,” Rowson told the NY Daily News. 

“But if you’re a little late, you’re gonna rush. If you’re a little early, you don’t quite know what to do with the time, so you may drift a little bit," Rowson continued, "When those things happen, the swing will fall apart. [Rizzo is] working to find the right timing to enable him to be more consistent with his swing.”

The Yankees are still performing great at the plate without much production from Rizzo. But the Yankees' big boppers could cool down eventually, and there’s always the chance that another lineup mainstay will suffer an injury. That is why the team needs Rizzo to break out of his prolonged slump.

Offensive depth is always a major factor in postseason success. For that reason alone, the Yankees are hoping Rizzo will find his timing sometime soon.