It's official: after being excluded from the New York Yankees' roster in their ALDS clash against the Kansas City Royals, Anthony Rizzo will be included in the 26-man roster that the team will be bringing to their ALCS battle against the Cleveland Guardians.

There was plenty of concern surrounding Rizzo after suffering a fracture to his two fingers during the penultimate game of the regular season (which was on September 28 against the Pittsburgh Pirates), but he has recovered swiftly to the point that he could make his return to action just 16 days after sustaining the injury.

The Yankees' official account on X, formerly known as Twitter, posted a graphic of the team's 26-man roster, with Rizzo and Marcus Stroman taking the place of Ben Rice and Duke Ellis.

With a longer series (best-of-seven) awaiting the Yankees, it was a no-brainer to bring in another pitcher who could soak up some innings and potentially deliver a gem if need be. Stroman has been inconsistent for New York all season long, but in a bullpen role, the risk is lower for him to put up an absolute stinker, as his leash will be very short.

As for Rizzo, it is certainly interesting to see the Yankees opt for the veteran option. Rice had his fair share of moments where he filled in admirably for Rizzo during his near-three month long absence (from June 17 to August 31). However, the 35-year-old first baseman regained his starting role from the moment he was fit for a return to action on September 1, and it appears as though Yankees are making a similar move with a series against the Guardians on the horizon.

It's unclear just how productive Rizzo can be; fingers are notoriously important body parts in the process of hitting a baseball with a wooden bat. But the Yankees are confident enough in his chances of being a more productive hitter than Rice. Perhaps he'll even start over Jon Berti or Oswaldo Cabrera at first base regardless of the handedness of the opposing pitcher.

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Yankees' first basemen are doing just fine in the playoffs

In the past, many unheralded players have come out and taken center stage in the grand stage of the playoffs. Now, the Yankees' first baseman didn't exactly set the world on fire during their 3-1 ALDS win against the Royals. But with the team's heavy hitters, particularly Giancarlo Stanton, stepping up, they didn't need to do so.

Against the Royals, the Yankees went with a partnership of Jon Berti and Oswaldo Cabrera to cover first base amid Anthony Rizzo's absence. They alternated starts, with Cabrera drawing the start in Game 1 and Berti starting in Game 2, and so on.

Berti and Cabrera may not have had the power production that's expected from first basemen, but they managed to get on base fairly often, combining for three hits and four walks in 16 total plate appearances.

Nevertheless, with right-handed starter Alex Cobb on the hill for the Guardians to start Game 1, Anthony Rizzo could be primed to damage in his return to the Yankees' active roster.