KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The last time the Yankees were in the postseason, Anthony Rizzo shook off a shaky August and a worse September to deliver a strong performance in the 2022 playoffs, when they fell in the ALCS to Houston.
He was hoping for a similar turnaround this year, as Rizzo finished a rough regular season with a solid eight-game stretch in which he went 10-for-26 with a pair of doubles, four walks and an OPS of .962.
Instead, Rizzo is still getting used to his new role as he recuperates from two fractured fingers suffered on the next-to-last day of the regular season.
“I’m just watching and cheering,’’ Rizzo said after the Yankees won Game 3 at Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday to get to the precipice of another ALCS. “It’s just a different mindset.”
And he knows he and the team made the right call in keeping Rizzo off the ALDS roster after testing his right hand.
“It wasn’t realistic for me to play,” Rizzo said. “The diving play [Jon] Berti made [Monday], I would have been in trouble on that play. I’m not sure what would have happened to my hand there. I’m definitely not ready for that and that’s my biggest worry.”
The ALCS won’t begin until Monday and if the Yankees are still playing, Rizzo said he will test the hand again to see if his status might change.
“There’s been a little progress with how it feels,” Rizzo said. “This has been a good week. We tested it out last week before this series and it didn’t go well, obviously. But we’ll keep moving forward with it and retest it. As long as it’s getting better, there’s hope.”
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His presence has been missed in the lineup because Rizzo has had success against much of Kansas City’s pitching staff and he has plenty of postseason experience, dating back to his days with the Cubs.
But his replacements at first, Berti and Oswaldo Cabrera, have praised Rizzo for his advice in playing first base.
“It’s a different mindset than I’m used to,’’ Rizzo said. “I’m trying to root everyone on and be a calming influence. It’s just about spending time with them and doing what I can to make things easier on them [at first].”
And even though it’s not what he’d prefer, Rizzo said he’s pleased to be in the postseason again.
“It’s been very fun to be a part of,’’ Rizzo said.