Anthony Rizzo, the New York Yankees’ first baseman, has been dealing with nagging back issues for a while since last season.
The New York Yankees are finalizing the 26-man roster to feature in the 2023 MLB regular season. However, they have faced numerous obstacles as key players are entering injury lists at an alarming rate. On top of that, the minor league prospects are quite literally bossing the spring training. Hence, stacking up the final 26 names has become a much more tedious job for the Yanks’ front office.
Meanwhile, the Yankees are facing unprecedented times as their star starters have picked up unnecessary injuries right before the opening day. Harrison Bader, Tommy Kahnle, Frankie Montas, Carlos Rodon, Ben Rortvedt, and Lou Trivino will be unavailable for the opening day and begin the season on the injury list. Further, the Bombers’ explosive first baseman, Anthony Rizzo, has missed a few games in spring training due to a stiff back. With so close to opening day, can the Yanks tackle these troubles?
Yankees Cut Potential Anthony Rizzo Replacement From The Final Roster
Jake Bauers, a 26-year-old left-handed hitter, was acquired by the New York Yankees in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds in 2022. He was assigned to the minor league to play for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. In 2022, he made 32 appearances, wherein he hit .226 with 5 home runs and 16 RBIs. However, at the end of the season, he was elected free agency and re-signed in December. Further, Jakes received a call-up to attend the spring training as a part of the 69 non-roster invitees.
Meanwhile, in spring training, he played 12 games and hit .391 and 2 RBI in 23 at-bats. However, this proved to be not enough, as the Yankees decided to cut him from the final roster. This move comes as a surprise, as Jake could have been a perfect backup to Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo is facing constant back issues and is unlikely to have a full season. Hence, Jake could have backed him up at the right time. However, the Yankees feel otherwise and have decided to let him go and sent him back to the minor league.
Billy McKinney Axed From The Final Roster
Meanwhile, along with Jake Bauers, the Yankees showed exit doors to another left-hand hitter, Billy McKinney. Billy started his major league career in New York back in 2018. However, injuries derailed his success over a period of time. Further, the hitter had an average spring training with .179 with 1 RBI in 28 games appearances. Hence, the Yanks front office assigned him back to the minor league for the 2023 season.
On the other hand, the job is far from done for the New York Yankees. They still have to cut off a lot of players before they reach the 26 mark. Moreover, with piling injuries, the decision-making is getting trickier. We have two weeks to the opening day and only a handful of spring training games to decide on the final 26-man roster.