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Aaron Judge has been a one-man wrecking crew, and for the Yankees’ sake, he’d better stay that way, since help does not seem to be on the way. 

The Yankees finally placed Anthony Rizzo on the 10-day IL prior to Tuesday’s rainout against the Twins, citing headaches he’s had since receiving an epidural to treat his lower-back issues. 

Aaron Boone said he hoped the first baseman would be back at the Stadium on Wednesday and could work his way back into the lineup soon, but also acknowledged he hoped the same thing for Monday over the weekend. 

“The images were good signs, as far as it not being [the epidural causing the headaches],” Boone said. “We’re trying to get our heads around this. Once he gets up and moving, he can’t do much.” 

The manager was also asked about DJ LeMahieu’s bothersome right toe and floated the idea of an IL stint for him, as well, when asked if the slumping LeMahieu might benefit from an extended break, as opposed to just a day or two. 

“I guess it’s possible or at some point, do we take that pause for 10 days or two weeks to see if that helps somewhat,’’ Boone said. “I don’t necessarily expect us to do that, either.” 


  The Yankees had hoped to avoid placing Anthony Rizzo on the injured list. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post The Yankees had hoped to avoid placing Anthony Rizzo on the injured list. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

But they didn’t expect to shelve Rizzo before Monday, when they called up journeyman Ronald Guzman from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. 

Rizzo joined Andrew Benintendi, as well as another key lefty bat, Matt Carpenter (fractured left foot) on the IL. 

Benintendi underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair the hook of his hamate bone and could be out the rest of the season. 

Harrison Bader remains out with plantar fasciitis and Giancarlo Stanton would not have been in Tuesday’s lineup after fouling balls off his foot on Monday, although Boone believes the DH could play Wednesday. 

Like most of the team, Rizzo enjoyed a terrific first half, but has been plagued by issues for the last two months. 

He twice had to sit out a handful of games with lower-back tightness before experiencing the same issues again on the West Coast last week. 

A visit to back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins in California resulted in the epidural, which Boone said later gave the Yankees confidence Rizzo would be able to deal with his back for the rest of the season. 

Boone said Tuesday that Rizzo’s back does, in fact, feel better — but he’s yet to test it due to the headaches since returning to New York. 

The manager added there is no clear reason for why Rizzo is experiencing the headaches — only that they are keeping him from doing anything active and he remains under doctor’s orders to rest. 

With Tuesday’s move to the IL, the Yankees called up Guzman, who Boone said was “impressive” during spring training. 

But he’s no replacement for Rizzo — or for LeMahieu, who also was going to miss Tuesday’s game, if it had been played. 

Whenever Rizzo’s headaches clear, he’ll need “at least a few days of ramp-up” before he’s back in a game. 

“That’s been a little frustrating for him the last couple of days,” Boone said. “We thought this would be a three- or four-day thing. It seems like his back is good. He’s got to get through this period.” 

The same could be said for the Yankees, who have won their last two, but have faltered for much of the second half — especially with injuries. 

“It’s been a little rough for us in that department, but that’s part of a big-league season,’’ Boone said. “Every team has to deal with it. For three or four months, we were largely quite healthy. We’ve taken our lumps in the injury department here of late with some key guys. Opportunity knocks for other guys. We also have some hopeful signs on the horizon that we are gonna get some key guys back in the mix, whether in days, weeks, and hopefully by the end of the year.” 

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