The Yankees have sorely missed Aaron Judge, but one of the biggest reasons for their midseason downturn has been first baseman Anthony Rizzo's struggles at the plate.
Rizzo went 45 consecutive games without a home run, batting .182 with a .492 OPS over that span. After starting the season red-hot, Rizzo's power drought contributed to a stretch that saw the Yankees fall out of the postseason picture with the trade deadline approaching.
The three-time all-star appears to have found an unlikely solution. Rizzo instantly snapped out of his slump after changing his walk-up song to Taylor Swift's "...Ready for it?" on Sunday, going 4-4 with a home run as New York completed a sweep of the Royals.
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The Yankees need start finding their identity ahead of the stretch run, and they just might have found some of it thanks to Rizzo.
Here's a closer look at why Rizzo made the switch to Swift.
Why Anthony Rizzo changed walk-up song to Taylor Swift
Some like Taylor Swift because of her songs. Others like Taylor Swift because of how entertaining she is as a performer. Just don't underestimate the reason Rizzo gave reporters: The way she stimulates local economies.
"It's her summer, really. She's helping the economy in every city she goes," Rizzo said Sunday, laughing off the way he broke out of his slump on the same day he debuted his new walk-up song.
"Taylor Swift... It's her summer, really. She's helping the economy in every city she goes."- Anthony Rizzo.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 23, 2023
Rizzo changed his walk-up song to Taylor Swift's "...Ready For It?" and went 4-for-4 with a homer. pic.twitter.com/qNIcjW5u8R
This isn't the first time Rizzo has used a Swift song as his walk-up music. He spent some time walking up to "Bad Blood" while playing for the Cubs, so Rizzo is already pretty comfortable in his fandom.
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Rizzo isn't wrong, either. Swift's "Eras" tour has taken has drawn swarms of fans all across America throughout the summer, though it hasn't been enough to distract Yankees fans from Rizzo's nightmarish offensive stretch.
"...Ready for it?" actually comes from a sports background. The song premiered as part of an ESPN promotion for a 2017 kickoff game between Alabama and Florida State.
Rizzo will have to hope the remainder of his season goes the way of Alabama rather than Florida State. The Crimson Tide went on to win a national championship, while the Seminoles finished 7-6 and watched Jimbo Fisher leave for Texas A&M at the end of 2017.
A sub-.500 OPS over a two-month stretch typically calls for drastic changes. If a new song is all that's needed to get Rizzo's bat going, the Yankees will gladly take it.
