NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees star Aaron Judge was scratched from the starting lineup from Sunday’s rain-delayed regular-season finale against Pittsburgh, and first baseman Ben Rice was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre a day after Anthony Rizzo got hurt.
Judge was in the original starting lineup playing center field but was replaced by Trent Grisham about the time New York said the game would not start as scheduled at 3:05 p.m. The field was soggy for about the first five innings of New York’s 6-4 win, which began after a 91-minute delay.
Judge got his third game off Friday, a day after the AL East title was clinched, then returned Saturday and went 0 for 5, tying his career high with five strikeouts. He is hitting .322 and leads the major leagues with 58 homers and 144 RBIs.
“Once I went out there, it was wet and then we went in the delay, ‘I just said, I don’t want you out there,’” manager Aaron Boone said.
Rizzo fractured the fourth and fifth fingers of his right hand when hit by a pitch from Pittsburgh’s Ryan Borucki in the seventh inning of Saturday’s 9-4 loss to the Pirates. It was the 222nd time Rizzo was hit by a pitch.
New York has not placed Rizzo on the injured list because he said he was feeling much better than when he fractured his right forearm in a collision at first base with Boston reliever Brennan Bernadino on June 16.
“Like my elbow, I’ve never gone through this before so I’m going off my elbow,” Rizzo said. “I feel 10 times better than my elbow felt. It felt a lot better than expected this morning and throughout the day.”
Rizzo also said he will undergo treatment for the few next days before seeing if he can play when the Yankees work out Friday ahead of the division series opener against Baltimore or Kansas City on Saturday.
“I’ll be honest with the team,” Rizzo said. “I’m not going to try to come in and play if I can’t, but I’ll definitely do my best. Hopefully it’s sooner than later.”
Rice played 49 games at first base and initially was called up after Rizzo’s first injury.
Drafted as a catcher out of Dartmouth in 2021, Rice batted .171 with seven homers and 23 RBIs. In the field, he committed two errors in 289 chances for a .993 fielding percentage.
“He’s obviously gained a lot of experience at first base this year and I feel like he handled that all really well,” Boone said. “I feel like he handled himself defensively, maybe even better than I anticipated.”
Rice slumped after hitting three homers against the Red Sox on July 7, hitting .117 (11 for 94) in the final 31 games of his first stint before being optioned to the minors on Aug. 31. At Triple-A, Rice batted .293 with 12 homers and 33 RBIs in 30 games.
Rizzo hit .228 with eight homers and 35 RBIs in 92 games this season, including .380 (8 for 21) since returning from the injured list on Sept. 1.
A three-time All-Star, Rizzo’s 2023 season was derailed on May 28 when he collided with San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. attempting to apply a tag on a pickoff try. He was diagnosed with a concussion two months later and hit .174 with 10 RBIs in 47 games after colliding with Tatis, finishing with a .244 average, 12 homers and 41 RBIs.
The Yankees acquired Rizzo from the Cubs at the 2021 trade deadline and re-signed him to a $40 million, two-year contract after he hit .224 with 32 homers and 75 RBIs in 130 games in 2022. New York has a $17 million option for 2025 with a $6 million buyout.
Cabrera, who has made five starts at first base, also could be an option,
DJ LeMahieu has not played since Sept. 3 because of right hip impingement. He will participate in workouts ahead of the ALDS.
“I think as I’ve said, Oswaldo with a glove on I’m good with,” Boone said. “He’s got a lot of work over at first this year, even going back to spring training a little bit.”
Reliever Jake Cousins, on the injured list with a right pectoral strain, threw on back-to-back days before taking Sunday off. The 30-year-old right-hander is to throw again Monday, have a bullpen session Tuesday and face hitters Thursday.
Cousins was injured Sept. 20 in Seattle and is 2-1 with a 2.37 ERA with one save in 37 appearances.
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