ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Anthony Rizzo did not make the trip from California to Tampa. The Yankees first baseman stayed on the West Coast to see a back specialist and could miss the series against the Rays, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told the Michael Kay Show Thursday. Rizzo has missed 10 games with the back issue since July 5.
Boone had vaguely said that Rizzo could miss a few days to deal with the back issue before Wednesday night’s devastating loss to the Angels. He also confirmed that he doesn’t expect Rizzo to have to go on the injured list.
The 33-year old first baseman was not in the starting lineup for Wednesday night’s game, but came in for defense in the eighth inning. Rizzo hit his 30th home run of the season Tuesday night, but afterwards, in the dugout between innings, he was wearing a large wrap with infrared heat on his lower back.
