Injured Anthony Rizzo serving as ‘Mr. Miyagi’ for Yankees’ first base beginners

As Oswaldo Cabrera, Ben Rice and Jon Berti fielded groundballs astatine archetypal basal during the Yankees’ archetypal postseason workout connected Oct. 1, Anthony Rizzo watched from the shallow infield writer with his hands successful his hoodie pocket.

With his right manus carrying 2 fractured fingers, the effect of a hit-by-pitch connected the second-to-last time of the regular season, Rizzo played the portion of coach. As his teammates – each comparatively inexperienced astatine archetypal basal – took reps astatine the position, the Gold Glover stopped them, chatted them up and offered pointers.

Rizzo, incapable to heal successful clip for the ALDS, has remained a beingness astir the team. He’s been particularly adjuvant to those moving astatine his position.

“We are similar the students, and he’s similar our Mr. Miyagi,” said Cabrera, who started Game 1 of the ALDS astatine archetypal despite logging conscionable 71.2 regular play innings there.

“Rizz has been helping retired a bunch,” added Berti, who has not played archetypal basal extracurricular of a fewer innings successful a outpouring grooming crippled with the Marlins a fewer years ago. “I’m conscionable asking him a clump of questions and learning arsenic overmuch arsenic I tin arsenic speedy arsenic I can.”

Ben Rice, Oswaldo Cabrera and Jon Berti are taking grounders astatine 1B portion Anthony Rizzo coaches them up. #Yankees pic.twitter.com/l2PaBUlPw8

— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) October 1, 2024

Rizzo’s expertise has not been constricted to first, either.

“He’s been great,” said Rice, a chap lefty swinger and earthy catcher who is inactive uncovering his mode astatine first. “He’s decidedly been a mentor for me, not conscionable defensively, but besides offensively. Just talking to him astir watching the game, watching at-bats, talking astir pitchers, talking astir game-planning, tendencies, each that stuff. So he’s been an awesome teammate.”

While Rizzo’s wounded would usually necessitate a 3-4-week timeline, the erstwhile World Series champ is hoping to articulation the Yankees for the ALCS should they advance. He started doing immoderate shot activities anterior to the ALDS, but helium recovered his capabilities to beryllium substandard with 2 breached digits.

In the meantime, Rizzo is downplaying the assistance he’s been giving the Yankees’ archetypal basal novices.

“I was conscionable talking to them [about] bunt scenarios, antithetic plays, pickoffs. I’m an unfastened book,” Rizzo said. “Everyone has each other’s’ backs.”

However, Cabrera, Rice and Berti are not the lone ones who recognize however utile Rizzo has been and tin proceed to beryllium – adjacent if he’s stuck connected the sidelines.

“So galore guys look up to him successful that room,” Aaron Boone said. “I deliberation [it] means a batch to those guys. And I’d similar to deliberation [that’s] different portion successful immoderate of the worth that helium brings.”