NEW YORK (AFP) — New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo could miss the start of the Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs after suffering two broken fingers when he was hit by a pitch on Saturday.

The Yankees said Rizzo suffered fractures to the fourth and fifth fingers of his right hand when he was hit by a pitch from left hander Ryan Borucki in the seventh inning of a 9-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

However, Yankees manager Aaron Boone voiced optimism that Rizzo could play at some point during the post-season.

“We’ll see what we have as the week moves forward,” Boone said in comments posted on MLB.com. “It doesn’t totally rule him out. It’s something that is a pain tolerance thing, so we’ll see as the days unfold here what we have.”

The Yankees have clinched the American League East division title and a first-round bye. Their AL division series will start on 5 October at Yankee Stadium.

Boone said that Rizzo couldn’t put his glove on after the half-inning and was replaced by Oswaldo Cabrera at first base.