In calling up Jasson Dominguez and largely shelving Alex Verdugo, the Yankees opted for a high-upside potential fix for a troublesome left field.
They have no such potential cure at first base.
Without DJ LeMahieu, who has been shuffled to the injured list, the Yankees’ lone backup is Oswaldo Cabrera.
Ben Rice is back with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after fading at the major league level and going 2-for-35 in his last 14 games.
Anthony Rizzo has to be a consistent, solid first baseman or else the Yankees would have nowhere to turn.
In his first week-plus of games since returning from injury, Rizzo had not found the results that he was used to for his first 13 major league seasons — but the quality of his at-bats had looked far better than his first few months of plate appearances in Year 14.
The Yankees believe there is hope for the 35-year-old, who was playing poorly when he fractured his right forearm on June 16 and has looked more like himself since returning on Sept. 1.
“I like where he’s at compared to earlier in the year,” hitting coach James Rowson said before Rizzo hit eighth and played first base against the Royals in The Bronx on Tuesday. “I think it’s a matter now of just getting comfortable and [getting] some of those balls to fall.
“But he’s hitting the ball hard, so I think we’re on the upswing.”
Rowson is correct: In Rizzo’s first 70 games this season, his batted balls averaged 86.3 mph off his bat, which would be the worst of his career since Statcast began tracking exit velocities in 2015.
The softer contact translated to a .224 average, .630 OPS and just eight home runs through the middle of June.
On the other side of the injury, Rizzo’s stats had not improved. In his first eight games back, he hit 5-for-27 (.185) with a .501 OPS, his only two extra-base hits a pair of doubles.
But his average exit velocity had climbed to 88.9 mph in the stretch, consistently making hard contact — particularly during a Chicago series that saw batted balls struck down by heavy winds — that had not yet turned into hits.
“I’ve actually liked his at-bats to this point,” manager Aaron Boone said Sunday at Wrigley Field. “Feel like he’s in a pretty good spot to really contribute.”
Nearly as encouraging has been Rizzo’s defensive play, which always had been a strength until his glove work in April through June.
Since returning, the four-time Gold Glover has played like it, saving a couple potential infield errors in Chicago and taking away a hit from the Cubs’ Michael Busch with a diving play on Friday.
The Yankees see hopeful signs — and they see a track record. Rizzo might not transform into the 2016 All-Star he was, but merely being a league-average hitter with solid defense would be welcomed.
As would actually seeing results at the plate, but his at-bats have been promising.
“I trust Rizz, and I say that because I’ve seen him for a long time. He brings so much to the table,” said Rowson, who shouted out Rizzo’s effect on teammates and his presence in hitters’ meetings. “I think his hitting is going to come. I think he’s doing the right things up there.”
