Yankees manager Aaron Boone downplays Anthony Rizzo's 'cranky' back
Yankees' Anthony Rizzo hits a single against the Washington Nationals during the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game Wednesday, March 1, 2023, in Tampa, Fla. Credit: AP/David J. Phillip
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Anthony Rizzo was scratched from Sunday’s lineup with what Aaron Boone called a “cranky” back.
Rizzo, who did not make the trip for the 3-3 tie with the Red Sox, probably would be the person least surprised by the development.
The first baseman, in fact, foreshadowed it in his first meeting with the media shortly after reporting for spring training. “I think I’d be crazy to sit here and say I won’t have a back issue this year,” he said Feb. 19, “because every year it seems like a little something pops up.”
Just how little a something this one turns out to be has yet to be determined. The Yankees, as is their wont when it comes to injuries, downplayed it.
“It’s not a big deal,” Boone said, adding that his expectation is that Rizzo will be back in the lineup for Tuesday night’s game against the Blue Jays. “He’s fine.”
It could turn out to be as minor as that, and Rizzo may well be back in the lineup for Tuesday’s game at Steinbrenner Field (the Yankees, with much of their traveling party for this game staying overnight in the Fort Myers area, will face the nearby Twins on Monday afternoon, a game Rizzo also was slated to play in).
Still, given Rizzo’s history with his back, to outright dismiss concern wouldn’t be the way to go, either.
Rizzo, who is 5-for-12 with a double in five exhibition games, has battled a bad back for much of his career.
Though he played in 130 games last season, Rizzo missed time here and there because of issues with his lower back. It started in July and continued into August, and he spent time on the injured list from Sept. 3-18 after experiencing severe headaches following an epidural injection.
Boone said what Rizzo, 33, is experiencing doesn’t compare to the instances last season that forced him out of the lineup. He began feeling the issue creeping up in Thursday's game against the Red Sox in Tampa, and the decision to keep Rizzo back for the two-game swing through Fort Myers was more a product of playing things cautiously than an indication of a serious problem.
“Let’s just knock it out,” Boone said, adding that when it comes to Rizzo's back, “it’s a constant maintenance thing.”
“There’s always little things he deals with that have at times knocked him out,” Boone said. “At times he’s played through [it]. This would be something that during the season he’s probably playing through.”
