Anthony Rizzo will be sidelined for nearly six weeks due to an arm fracture suffered in Boston on Sunday night, and the Yankees have called up first base prospect Ben Rice to fill the void.
As Rizzo mends, C-Mac believes the veteran’s time as a starter in the Bronx is over.
“I think it is a very strong possibility that we have seen the end of Anthony Rizzo as the starting first baseman for the Yankees,” C-Mac said. “I don’t think they’ll cut him…I think when he’s healthy he’ll come back, but I just think there’s a very good chance he becomes a bench player or a role player for this team. Or, at the very best, a platoon player.”
Rizzo has struggled for much of the season, and hasn’t been the same since suffering a concussion in May of last season against the Padres. In the final year of his deal, C-Mac believes Rizzo won’t return to being a starter, and by the time he is healthy and ready to return, he will have been replaced, whether it be by Rice or by trade.
“I don’t think Anthony Rizzo is going to be the first baseman,” C-Mac said. “I think they’re going to do things, his timeline surpasses the trade deadline, and they can’t afford to wait around.”