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Anthony Rizzo may have taken his last big-league at-bat — but his baseball story might not be finished just yet.
The former Yankees first baseman was recently invited by Team Italy general manager Ned Colletti to join the country’s roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, per 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine.
“I spoke to him months ago, and he said, ‘Let me think about it,’” the former Dodgers GM said Saturday during an appearance on WSCR’s “Inside The Clubhouse.”
“I told him, ‘Even if it’s a pinch-hitting role or something like that, I’d love to have you.’”
Rizzo, whose grandparents emigrated from Ciminna, Sicily, previously suited up for Team Italy in the 2013 WBC.
He went 4-for-17 with five walks across five games, helping Italy reach the second round of the tournament before being eliminated by Puerto Rico.
The 36-year-old last appeared in the majors in 2024, slashing .228/.301/.335 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs in 92 games with the Yankees.
Battling a myriad of injuries, Rizzo returned in the playoffs with his last game coming in the decisive Game 5 of the World Series against the Dodgers.
After limited interest in the offseason, Rizzo was honored by the Cubs at Wrigley Field in September – a ceremony that coincided with his retirement.
“The last couple years I was banged up a little bit, but last year after breaking my arm I told my parents, I told my wife, ‘Hey, enjoy this ride,’” Rizzo said. “So it was in the back of my mind a little bit. … When it didn’t really pick up, and the right opportunities didn’t arise … it was kind of decided early on that if I didn’t get the right opportunity, it was probably going to be it, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Rizzo enjoyed the bulk of his success in Chicago, earning three All-Star selections and helping lead the Cubs to a first World Series title in 2016 – the franchise’s first championship in 108 years.
He slashed .272/.372/.489 with 242 homers and 784 RBIs during his Chicago tenure, winning four Gold Glove awards across 10 seasons.
The Yankees acquired Rizzo at the trade deadline in 2021 and he spent his final three and a half seasons in the Bronx.
Colletti said the door remains open for Rizzo’s participation.
“We’ll see if he wants to do it,” Colletti said. ‘You gotta prepare to do it, you can’t just show up – and he knows that.”
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