New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo appears to be making tangible progress in his return from injury.
The 34-year-old lefty began a rehab assignment this week with the Double-A Somerset Patriots with the plan to be the designated hitter for a few games before progressing to field work.
However, the Yankees altered that plan when Rizzo showed "continued healing" in the fractured arm he suffered against the Boston Red Sox in the middle of June.
This led to Rizzo playing first base for four innings on Tuesday — a game in which he homered. The Yankees then had Rizzo follow that up with another game at first base on Wednesday.
The next steps in the plan are unclear, but manager Aaron Boone told reporters before Wednesday's game against the Washington Nationals that Rizzo is expected to be with the team Thursday in New York.
Rizzo has been on the injured list since suffering the injury against the Red Sox on June 16 when he collided with relief pitcher Brennan Bernardino at first base trying to beat out a ground ball.
Prior to the injury, Rizzo had been struggling to find his form. He was .223/.289/.341 with eight home runs, 28 RBI and an 76 OPS+ in 70 games.
His month of June was horrendous with a .104 batting average, one home run and a .373 OPS in 54 plate appearances.
The Yankees have been using a platoon between DJ LeMahieu (49 OPS+) and Ben Rice (77 OPS+) at first base, but both have struggled incredibly.
It's likely the Yankees will option Rice to the minor leagues upon Rizzo's return, but it remains to be seen what the front office will do.
Either way, Rizzo seems to be inching closer to a return so this will be something to monitor going into the weekend.
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