Yankees News: Anthony Rizzo timeline, Ian Hamilton, unacceptable Patrick Corbin loss

Before we talk about Tuesday night's disgusting loss to the Washington Nationals, we'll dive into some pertinent New York Yankees updates that should have a major impact on the month of September as well as the postseason.

Manager Aaron Boone made his weekly appearance on Talkin' Yanks and was asked a bunch of questions about Yankees players on the mend, and the first was Anthony Rizzo, who is rehabbing at Double-A with the Somerset Patriots.

Boone was unsure how quickly Rizzo would be back in the bigs because the first baseman hasn't played defense yet (he's been DHing for his first three games). He said Rizzo will be reevaluated after Wednesday's rehab game to see where he's at before the team makes a decision.

Once upon a time, Yankees fans were unsure if Rizzo would even be in the picture by the time he recovered from his fractured forearm. Ben Rice looked like he'd take reps away from the likely 2025 free agent, and sadly Rizzo has been wildly ineffective ever since suffering a head injury in May of last year.

But the Yankees saw Rice fall off (and not get the necessary opportunities against left-handed pitching, which definitely attributed to his slide) while DJ LeMahieu continues to prove he can't handle full-time duty at any position. Hopefully this Rizzo homer from Tuesday will get fans excited, because that's all we got.

Yankees News: Anthony Rizzo timeline, Ian Hamilton, ridiculous Patrick Corbin loss

Reliever Ian Hamilton is also hanging out with Rizzo at Somerset, and the right-hander looked good in his second outing on Tuesday. Over his last two games, Hamilton has thrown 2 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out six batters.

Even more encouraging is his velocity. He was sitting 98 MPH in his most recent appearance, which is actually incredible because he hasn't pitched in over two months. The last time he was on the mound for the Yankees, he allowed seven runs in four consecutive appearances (four innings) and then hit the injured list with a lat strain.

His return to the bullpen will be a savior because the Yankees are lacking multi-inning and swing-and-miss options at the moment.

OK, onto the bad news. On Monday night, the Yankees played one of their most exciting games of the season. The 5-2 win over the Nationals featured aggressive baseball. The Yankees were relentless on offense, stealing bases, making sterling defensive plays, and putting pressure on the opponent. It's what we love to watch.

Then, on Tuesday, we were gifted with another candidate for "worst loss of the season." This one wasn't particularly brutal in terms of heartbreak — just more so disheartening because the offense couldn't hit the worst qualified starter in the league.

Patrick Corbin has legitimately been the worst full-time starter in baseball for four years running. He's had a 5.20 ERA or worse in at least 27 starts per season since 2021. He led the league in losses from 2021-2023 and currently leads the pack at the moment. But guess what? He's a left-hander, and the Yankees can't hit those guys. Again, the legitimate postseason concerns return to the forefront of the conversation with this team.

Corbin had just one other scoreless outing in 2024, which came back on April 23 against the Dodgers. He allowed three hits and three walks in what ended up being a 4-1 loss. The Yankees were his next victim, as no player recorded a multi-hit night and the team went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position (classic).

On the defensive side of the ball, they played a sound game with four errors in the 4-2 loss. Though those miscues only cost them a run, it's still uninspiring because it's another uncomfortable topic to discuss as the season winds down and the games become even more important.

One last note: Corbin out-dueled Gerrit Cole, who allowed three earned runs on six hits (two homers) and a walk in the loss. Just go out and win the series Wednesday so we can forget about this.