Rizzo homers, shows signs of breaking out
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It was a long span of 27 games in which Anthony Rizzo did not pull off a swing like this.
Maybe his eighth-inning home run — turning on a John Schreiber sweeper for the Yankees’ first run of the game — was a blip in a lost season. Or maybe, after nearly five weeks without connecting on a dinger, Rizzo finally has found something and can begin to transform into the Rizzo of old.
“I hope so,” Rizzo said after swatting his first homer since May 10 during a 4-3 loss to the Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Thursday. “Definitely feel like I’m in a better spot — I’ve been feeling that.”
Rizzo was out of the lineup on Sunday and Monday, a decision made by manager Aaron Boone to both clear his first baseman’s head and allow him time to work on his swing. In the first two games since the benching, Rizzo went 1-for-8. He did hit some balls hard, but he was continually struggling to lift balls to the right side and grounded too many to first and second base.
“I feel like I’ve had a couple good swings the last few days,” said Rizzo, who said Tuesday he felt as if his swing was getting close to where he wants it.
Rizzo, whose 2023 season was tanked by a presumed concussion, is 34 and in his 14th year as a big-leaguer. There is no guarantee that he can regain the form that brought him to the All-Star Game three times. His OPS is .626, with eight home runs in 67 games this season.
But one 1-for-3 day, which also included a nine-pitch walk, provided some hope.
➤ Friday will mark Alex Verdugo’s return to Fenway Park, where he did not get along with manager Alex Cora and got benched twice last season, once for a lack of hustle and once for showing up to a game late.
The outfielder has been a popular character in the Yankees clubhouse and a solid cleanup hitter.
➤ Aaron Judge (0-for-4 with four strikeouts) snapped a season-high, 37-game on-base streak, which was the longest by any major leaguer this season.
On a sunny and hot day game that followed a night game, Judge was given a half-day off as designated hitter. Trent Grisham started in center field and Giancarlo Stanton was out of the starting lineup.
➤ Gerrit Cole likely will throw 65-70 pitches Friday in Rochester with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Boone said.
In his second and most recent rehab start, the reigning AL Cy Young winner threw 57 pitches in 4 2/₃ innings. Boone did not reveal whether his third minor league start would be his final one.
➤ Gleyber Torres (1-for-4 with a double) extended his season-high on-base streak to 20 games.