The New York Yankees made a pretty drastic lineup decision by benching Anthony Rizzo. The veteran first baseman is getting some time off after a brutal stretch in the hopes that he can shake off his struggles and go back to being a top-notch starter.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Rizzo could get Monday off after already sitting out on Sunday, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. It may take some time for the results to show but it’s important to take that time now, especially with so much of the season left to go.

“There’s no question over the last two, three weeks especially, it’s been a little bit of a struggle,” Boone said, via The Athletic. “When you’re going through it and making little adjustments, they don’t always take right away. You go out there and, ‘Oh, that adjustment didn’t take right away.’ Maybe you revert back to something different. You break down some of the work, especially when you’ve been a successful player like Anthony has been throughout his career. It’s sometimes a process. Sometimes you have to get these small little gains along the way to get you where you need to go and sometimes being patient with that — which is hard when you’re going through it as a player — you got to have that (patience) a little bit.”

Yankees' Anthony Rizzo enduring major slump

Rizzo slowing down in his age-34 season is not too surprising but his eye-opening lack of production at the plate has left the Yankees with no choice but to look for other lineup options. At the moment, they’re going with DJ LeMahieu at first base while Oswaldo Cabrera moves in at third.

Coming off of a month where he posted a slash line of .240/.302/.323, Rizzo got off to a horrendous start in June. He tallied one hit (a double) and one walk across his first 30 plate appearances. That’s it. He struck out thrice and grounded into a double play, too. He definitely needed a break but the question now becomes how long that will last.

Rizzo went on a big slump last season but that was because the Yankees failed to correctly diagnose a concussion, allowing him to play through it while it just got worse. He hasn’t had any severe injury issues this season but his struggles have continued. He's on pace to play his worst full MLB season if things don’t eventually shape up.

Especially with Juan Soto dealing with a forearm injury, the Yankees can’t afford to have a gaping hole in their lineup. Rizzo's power and discipline make him a solid bat for the middle of the order but, as he continues to get further from his prime years, it's becoming harder for him to show them off.

The Yankees may become serious trade suitors for a first baseman like Pete Alonso or Vladimir Guerrero Jr. If New York is truly ready to go for it, bringing in a younger, better-performing first baseman may be the way to go.