Anthony Rizzo’s injury could be blessing in disguise if Yankees make this move

Anthony Rizzo's injury turned out to be a lot worse than many New York Yankees fans expected. The team's first baseman is reportedly set to miss four to six weeks with an arm fracture suffered during a collision at first base with Dominic Smith of the Boston Red Sox.

Rizzo hasn't been the Rizzo of old this season offensively or defensively, but he had started 70 of New York's first 74 games at first base before his injury. His injury will obviously change that in a big way.

Since Rizzo has been a fixture in New York's lineup, what the Yankees will do now that he's out is a mystery. The most likely outcome is presumably DJ LeMahieu making the move from third base to first base with Oswaldo Cabrera getting regular reps at the hot corner. While that would certainly be the easy move to make, Rizzo's injury gives the Yankees a chance to get a look at one of their most intriguing prospects, Ben Rice.

Anthony Rizzo's injury gives the Yankees a chance to get a look at an intriguing prospect

Rice, the Yankees' No. 12 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, has had a very strong season thus far, slashing .275/.393/.532 with 15 home runs and 36 RBI in 60 games played. He's a catching prospect known more for his bat than his glove, but he does have 55 games of experience at first base in his minor league career, 17 of which have come this season.

Rice being more of a catcher than a first baseman and only having 11 games of experience in AAA are reasons why the Yankees might be hesitant to make this move, but again, it's not like he'd be replacing prime Rizzo. He'd be replacing a guy with a .630 OPS who has taken a step back defensively as well. It'd be a bit risky given Rice's relative inexperience, but it's unlikely he'd look much worse than Rizzo did.

By bypassing Rice and rolling with LeMahieu and Cabrera at the corners, the Yankees are subjecting themselves to mediocrity. LeMahieu has missed most of this season but has looked unrecognizable when he has played. Cabrera got off to a roaring start to this season, but he has slowed down a ton as the season has progressed.

If a Rice promotion doesn't work out, the Yankees could always just turn to what they'll likely be doing now. If it does, they might not only have their first baseman for this season but for the long term as well, since Rizzo is likely departing after the season. It's a small risk worth taking, and is the only move that the Yankees can make that might make their team better in Rizzo's absence.