The New York Yankees have revealed a major roster change before of their series opener against the Baltimore Orioles.
Anthony Rizzo, the first baseman, has been formally placed on the injured list due to a fracture in his right forearm. Top prospect Ben Rice will take his place on the active roster after being formally called up to the major leagues on Tuesday.
The Yankees also placed right-handed pitchers Ian Hamilton (right lat strain) and Cody Poteet (right triceps strain) on the 15-day injured list. Clayton Andrews and Anthony Misiewicz, both left-handed pitchers, will replace them on the active roster.
Rizzo is anticipated to miss four to six weeks due to the fracture, giving Rice more time in the majors. Rice is listed as a catcher and infielder on the Yankees’ official roster, although he is anticipated to spend the most of his time at first base in Rizzo’s absence. He hit.333/.440/.619 with an OPS of 1.059 in 11 games in Triple-A this year after being called up from Double-A.
In terms of pitchers, Hamilton is sent to the IL after a string of poor performances. Hamilton had a 2.81 ERA in his first 23 appearances of the season, but has struggled in the last week, allowing seven earned runs in four innings of work. He watched his ERA rise to 4.55 and will now miss time.
Poteet’s injury occurs at a terrible time for him, since he has prospered since being called up to replace another injured starter, Clarke Schmidt. Poteet has made four starts since his call-up and has posted a 2.14 ERA in 21 innings.
With Gerrit Cole’s comeback scheduled for Wednesday, Poteet might be sent down anyhow, unless the Yankees chose to go with a six-man rotation (which seems doubtful given how dominant their rotation has been this season). However, in the event of an injury, he will be unable to return for at least a few weeks.
Andrews, who has made one appearance with the Yankees this season, will pitch one-third of an inning and allow a solitary home run. He appeared four times for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2023, allowing 10 earned runs in 3.1 innings. He has a career ERA of 27.00 in MLB and a 5.84 ERA in 20 Triple-A games this season.
Misiewicz has played for five MLB teams since 2020, including the Yankees last year, where he recorded a 3.38 ERA in 2.2 innings. He has made 23 Triple-A outings this year and has a 3.23 ERA. He will now get the opportunity to work out of the bullpen for MLB’s finest team.
The Yankees begin a three-game series against the Orioles on Tuesday night. The top two clubs in the American League East are separated by 1.5 games.
Rice will start for the Yankees on Tuesday, batting sixth, while Andrews and Misiewicz should be available from the bullpen.
