Back in February, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Brendan Kuty reported that free-agent first baseman Anthony Rizzo is healthy and wants to continue playing in 2025. However, even at just 35 years old, Rizzo knows the end of his career might be approaching. The 14-year veteran became a free agent when the Yankees declined his $17 million option, instead giving him a $6 million buyout. After two injury-marred seasons the last two years, Rizzo understands why his market hasn't been robust, and he remains available after the start of the regular season. He dealt with concussion issues, two fractured fingers in his hand and a fractured forearm the last two years. While Rizzo is healthy now and would love to continue his major-league career, he also said he's not going to ruin the market for veterans that come after him and settle for a minimum contract.

The New York Yankees are declining their 2025 club option on first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo had one of the worst seasons of his career this summer as he posted an underwhelming .228/.301/.335 line with eight home runs, 35 RBI, with a 27:65 BB:K ratio. Under the hood, Rizzo saw his metrics dropped to career lows with a 33.2% hard-hit rate and a mere .239 xBA. In addition, since hitting 32 home runs in 2022, Rizzo has hit just 20 long balls over the past two summers with a season-low of eight in 2024. Fantasy managers should expect the former World Series Champion to find a new home in 2025, but he is best left for deeper formats, given his sharp decline.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (fingers) said the days off this week before the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers have been valuable in helping his broken fingers heal. "The biggest thing is getting the swelling out between games. It really blows up from the pressure. The bones are still broken, but to be able to get the swelling out has been key," Rizzo said. The 35-year-old left-handed slugger fractured two fingers on his right hand in the second-to-last game of the regular season and was held out of the American League Division Series before going 6-for-14 with a double, two walks and a run scored in five games (four starts) in the AL Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians. He should be good to go to start in Game 1 of the World Series against the Dodgers, and the Yankees will need Rizzo's bat to keep up with LA's high-powered offense in the series.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo and catcher Austin Wells are both back in the starting lineup for Game 4 of the American League Championship Series on Friday at Progressive Field against Cleveland Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams. Rizzo and Wells, both lefty hitters, took a seat in the Game 3 loss with a left-hander on the mound. Rizzo fractured two fingers at the end of the regular season and didn't play in the AL Division Series. He's gone 3-for-7 with a double, two walks and a run scored in three games in the ALCS. Wells has just two hits in 28 trips to the plate this postseason with two RBI, two walks and 12 K's. Rizzo has never faced Williams in his career, while Wells has a single and a strikeout in two at-bats. Rizzo is batting sixth on Friday, with Wells in the eight-hole as the Yankees look to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo is not in the starting lineup for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Thursday at Progressive Field against the Cleveland Guardians with left-hander Matthew Boyd on the mound. Jon Berti will get the nod at first base and will bat sixth in the order. Rizzo fractured two fingers on his hand in the second-to-last game of the regular season and sat out of the AL Division Series against the Kansas City Royals. In the first two games of the ALCS, he went 3-for-7 with a double, a walk and a run scored. Berti will be appearing in the ALCS for the first time after going 2-for-7 with a walk and a strikeout in the ALDS. He has never faced Boyd in his career and went 7-for-27 (.259) with no homers or RBI in 30 plate appearances against southpaws in limited action during the regular season.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Guardians. The veteran didn't play in the ALDS after suffering fractured fingers at the end of the regular season but has shown no ill effects in his two games in the ALCS since returning. The veteran went 1-for-3 with a walk in Game 1 on Monday as well. If he's in the lineup Thursday for Game 3 in Cleveland, the 3x All-Star will likely see LHP Matthew Boyd who he's 1-for-3 off of lifetime.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo is making a second straight start at first base and will hit eighth for Game 2 of the American League Championship Series on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium against the Cleveland Guardians and right-hander Tanner Bibee. Rizzo fractured a couple fingers on his right hand when he was hit by a pitch on the second-to-last regular season game and wasn't included on the roster for the AL Division Series against the Kansas City Royals. The 35-year-old returned for the Game 1 win over the Guardians on Monday, though, and went 1-for-3 with a walk in the 5-2 victory. The Yankees pulled Rizzo early on Monday as a precaution. The fact that he's back in the lineup for Game 2 means he didn't suffer a setback with his fingers. In two career at-bats against Bibee, Rizzo has a single. Rizzo's DFS fantasy appeal will be lowered as long as he continues to hit near the bottom of the lineup.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (fingers) was included on the team's roster for the American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians and will start at first base and bat eighth in Game 1 on Monday at Yankee Stadium against Guardians right-hander Alex Cobb. Rizzo fractured two fingers on his right hand during a hit-by-pitch at the tail end of the regular season and was unavailable to play in the AL Division Series versus the Kansas City Royals. The 35-year-old veteran is back now, though, although he'll hit lower in the Yankees' lineup, making him much harder to trust for DFS purposes. He also missed extended time during the regular season due to a fractured forearm and hit just .228 (77-for-337) with eight homers and 35 RBI in his 92 games played. In just four career at-bats against Cobb, Rizzo has a single, a walk and a strikeout.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (fingers) is a candidate to be added to the ALCS roster ahead of Game 1 on Monday. Rizzo is working his way back from fractures in multiple fingers after being hit by a pitch on the final weekend of the regular season, and he appears to be nearly ready to return. The Yankees would love to have him back, as they have been using a combination of Jon Berti and Oswaldo Cabrera to fill in for the lefty and could use a boost. He would likely slot into the back half of the lineup if he returns Monday.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (fingers) told reporters on Friday that he won't be on the ALDS roster. Rizzo was hit by a pitch last Saturday in the Yankees' matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates and fractured multiple fingers. The 35-year-old is confident, though, that if the Yankees advance to the ALCS that he would be able to contribute. Rizzo hit for an underwhelming 81 OPS+ in the regular season, though his prior postseason success would have potentially been a decent boost for the Yankees. With Rizzo out, it is expected that Ben Rice will get the start at first base. Rice exploded onto the scene when he debuted in June, but he tapered off and hit only for a 72 OPS+ when all was said and done. DFS managers willing to take a risk on Rice may not like the results they get as the Royals' pitching staff allowed just one run in their two-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles in the wild card round.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (fingers) hasn't attempted any baseball activities yet, according to general manager Brian Cashman. The Yankees consider Rizzo to be a long shot to be included on the roster for the American League Division Series against the Kansas City Royals, which begins on Saturday. In addition, infielder DJ LeMahieu (hip) has started baseball activities, but Cashman considers Oswaldo Cabrera and rookie Ben Rice as the "primary names" at first base for the Yanks heading into the playoffs. The 35-year-old Rizzo fractured two fingers on his right hand during a hit-by-pitch last weekend to wrap up the regular season. It remains to be seen if the veteran left-handed slugger will be available if the Yankees advance to the ALCS, but his absence will be notable towards the bottom of New York's batting order against KC. Rizzo also missed time with a fractured forearm in 2024 and played in only 92 regular-season contests.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (fingers) fractured two fingers in his right hand on Saturday and is now a long shot to be ready to play in the American League Division Series in the postseason, even though the Yankees chose not to place him on the 10-day injured list. Game 1 of the ALDS starts on Saturday at Yankee Stadium against either the Baltimore Orioles or Kansas City Royals. "I don't necessarily expect him for the division series," manager Aaron Boone said after a 6-4 win on Sunday. "I still view that as very much a long shot. The 35-year-old will receive treatment until testing his hand on Thursday or Friday before giving team officials "an honest assessment" of the situation. Whether he can play will come down to pain tolerance. Rizzo's injury was described as a clean break, giving him a shot to play in the ALDS. DJ LeMahieu, Ben Rice and Oswaldo Cabrera are the options to replace Rizzo at first base in the playoffs if he cannot go.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (hand) left Saturday's game after getting hit in his right hand by a pitch, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. He was replaced by Oswaldo Cabrera. After taking the pitch, Rizzo tried to remain in the game but was eventually removed later in the afternoon. Fantasy managers should not expect Rizzo to be penciled in the starting nine on Sunday afternoon in the regular-season finale, as the Yankees will likely exercise caution with their starting first baseman ahead of the playoffs. Cabrera will likely be the next man up at first base if Rizzo misses an extended period of time heading into October.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo and catcher Austin Wells will get the day off for Friday's series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium a day after the team clinched the American League East division title. Oswaldo Cabrera will start at first base and bat ninth, while Jose Trevino will do the catching and hit eighth against Pirates rookie right-hander Jared Jones. The Yankees are giving a lot of their regulars a day off after they celebrated their division title on Thursday evening with a win over the division-rival Baltimore Orioles. Since returning from a fractured forearm on Sept. 1, Rizzo has gone 17-for-71 (.239) with no home runs, five doubles, seven RBI, eight walks and 17 strikeouts in 21 games played. The Yankees will be hoping he can find some of his power stroke from the left side of the plate with the playoffs starting next week.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo is out of the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Texas Rangers. The veteran slugger will get the night off for the first time since coming off the injured list. This isn't shocking as the Yankees don't want to push Rizzo too hard considering he's coming back from a major injury. DJ LeMahieu will cover first base and bat ninth versus left-hander Andrew Heaney. LeMahieu has been awful with the bat and is hitting only .157 against left-handed pitching, so fantasy managers can keep him out of their lineups on Tuesday.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (forearm) was reinstated from the 60-day IL on Sunday morning and will start at first base as the Yankees conclude a series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Rizzo has been sidelined since mid-June with a right forearm fracture. In a corresponding move, the Yankees optioned first baseman/catcher Ben Rice on Saturday evening. Before the injury, Rizzo was hitting a mere .223/.289/.341 line with eight home runs. Despite his struggles, fantasy managers looking to improve their corner infield spot should look to add the former World Series champion this weekend, given his everyday role in the Yankees offense. This afternoon, Rizzo could be a sneaky play in DFS as he will bat in the seven-hole against St. Louis right-hander Miles Mikolas, who has a hefty 5.23 ERA.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (forearm) appears to be extremely close to making his return to the big-league club. The 35-year-old has been working his way back from a forearm injury that has sidelined him since mid-June. The good news is that Rizzo is going to play a rehab game on Friday and could return when the roster expand on Sunday. Rizzo hasn't given the Yankees much production with the bat this season. He's hitting .223 with eight home runs and 28 RBI in 70 games. Ben Rice will likely lose some playing time once Rizzo is back in the mix.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (forearm) went 2-for-2 with a solo home run in a minor-league rehab game with Double-A Somerset on Tuesday. In three rehab games for Somerset, Rizzo has gone 2-for-6 with a homer, two runs scored and two walks. Tuesday's contest saw the 35-year-old left-handed-slugging veteran play first base for the first time after serving as the designated hitter the first two contests. With rookie left-handed-hitter Ben Rice struggling at the plate of late for the Yanks, it seems like the perfect time for Rizzo to rejoin the major-league club, which could happen as soon as this weekend in a series in the Bronx against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Rizzo could be a sneaky power option for fantasy managers down the stretch. Before fracturing his forearm, he hit eight home runs and drove in 28 runs in 264 at-bats for the Yankees.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (forearm) faced right-handed reliever Ian Hamilton (lat) during a two-inning simulated game on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. According to manager Aaron Boone, Rizzo's return is still to be determined, as they want him to heal more from his forearm fracture. Rizzo still has boxes to check before the Yankees clear him to go on a minor-league rehab assignment, but he's clearly making progress. The 35-year-old left-handed slugger is unlikely to be back in the big leagues until September, and it remains to be seen if he'll be an everyday player upon his return. Rizzo hasn't played in a game since the middle of June and won't have much time to provide power for fantasy managers the rest of the way. He was hitting just .223/.289/.341 with a .630 OPS, eight home runs, 28 RBI and 32 runs scored in 264 at-bats at the time of his injury.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (forearm) has been swinging a bat and doing some fielding, but his broken forearm is still in the healing phase. Manager Aaron Boone said that Rizzo hit "full bore" on Tuesday off a Trajekt pitching machine as he continues to recover from a fractured right forearm. The 35-year-old veteran appears to be making some good progress, but the Yankees have yet to give a firm timeline on his potential return from the 60-day injured list. Rizzo has been out since June 16, so he's likely to require a minor-league rehab assignment before he's reinstated, and when he does finally return, he could split duties at first base with rookie Ben Rice, who has been impressive in his first year in the big leagues. At the time of Rizzo's injury, he was batting .223/.289/.341 with a weak .630 OPS, eight home runs and 28 RBI in 291 plate appearances.