Rizzo bouncing back after rough COVID fight
Anthony Rizzo was on the field running and doing some defensive work Tuesday morning and took batting practice in between games of the split doubleheader against the Red Sox. It was the first time the Yankees first baseman had done that since he was diagnosed with COVID-19 on August 7.
“Today’s the first day. I was really kind of knocked out for a solid six, seven days, so the last few days I just went on good walks, stretched,” Rizzo said before the first game at Yankee Stadium. “But today, doing all this feels a lot better than I expected.”
While the Yankees are hopeful Rizzo will be back in the lineup tonight or Thursday, Rizzo said he wasn’t sure. He underwent cardiac testing on Monday and the Yankees want to see how he recovers from the workout. But Rizzo does expect to be back soon.
“Just need to see pitches, really. I’ve gotten a little bit of time to just bounce right back the next couple days, so not too concerned, especially this late in the year. I’ve put in all the work, it’s kind of just muscle memory now,” Rizzo said.
It was a very strange time for Rizzo, who had just come over to the Yankees in a trade from the Cubs. It was after the Saturday day game against the Mariners, his first homestand as a Yankee, that he tested positive.
“I felt really tired and achy, but I was coming off of an insane week of travel and emotion,” Rizzo said. “And after the game I was eating and I couldn’t really taste or smell, so that’s when I got tested. I was positive.”
Rizzo said he felt achy and tired most of the time he was in quarantine.
“It sucked. Achy and tired; those are the two words that I’d use. I’d just get up and try to move around and get tired and everything hurts. So l felt like my age caught up to me a little bit,” Rizzo said. “Overall I feel like I started turning the corner a few days ago and then the last two, three days, just feeling really good.”
It also threw an unusual wrinkle into the process of getting adjusted to his new team.
“It’s tough just building the relationship with the guys and they kind of have to stall that,” Rizzo said. “Watching the games on TV, it’s a lot more stressful than being in a dugout and playing in the games.
“But the guys have been playing amazing, just from a fan looking and obviously I’m a part of it, but there’s just no quit in the guys and the team,” Rizzo said. “It’s been amazing.”
Rizzo had an incredibly hot start to his Yankee career. He was slashing .281/.400/.563 with a .963 OPS, three home runs and six RBI in nine games with the Bombers.