NEW YORK – When New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo opens his eyes for the first time Tuesday morning, he picks up his phone, scrolls through his messages and finds his latest exchange with manager Aaron Boone.

“I’m going to text him as soon as I wake up,” Rizzo said.

That's because while Rizzo expects to play in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series after contributing to and helping in a 5-2 Game 1 win at Yankee Stadium on Monday night, that's not a guarantee.

The 35-year-old said he would let Boone know exactly how bad he was feeling hours from his first game back since Sept. 28, when a punch hit him in the right hand and broke his ring and pinky fingers.

Rizzo missed the Yankees' AL Division Series win over the Kansas City Royals, and when he was added to the roster on Monday it came as a surprise to many. Rizzo took grounders during Sunday's practice but didn't hit them on the field and it appeared his hand hadn't healed enough to play.

But Rizzo had convinced the Yankees that he couldn't simply endure the pain he was feeling. He swore he could help too.

Boone said he thought Rizzo looked “strong” and that he had “really good at-bats” on Monday, going 1-for-3 with a single up the middle in his first at-bat and a walk.

But Boone removed him from the game before the start of the ninth inning and replaced him with Oswaldo Cabrera on defense. It seemed like a strange move at the time, but Boone said Rizzo wasn't injured.

“He was just physically and emotionally exhausted there toward the end of the game, and I just felt like I had to get him out of there and wanted to make sure I got this right with him while we were going through this,” Boone said. “He really hadn’t been on the field in over two weeks, but he was doing well with his hand.”

Rizzo hit a single in the second inning of the Yankees' 5-2 victory over the Guardians in Game 1 of the ALCS. (Wendell Cruz/Imagn Images)

Did Rizzo feel like his tank was empty at that point?

“Yeah, I mean, I felt that way in the (Division Series) too when I was just a cheerleader,” he said.

He had no problem with Boone taking him out of the game.

“After an injury, I just cope smartly and I’m just happy to get this injury over with. “I’m excited to see how I wake up tomorrow and try,” Rizzo said.

He said he felt no pain in his hand while intercepting throws from infielders, although he missed a ground ball in the eighth inning that eventually led to a run.

With one out and a runner on first base, Brayan Rocchio hit an 85.6 mph grounder that Rizzo tried to catch with a dive to right. But he blocked it with his glove and the ball went under him. During the play, reliever Tim Hill was charged with interfering with Rocchio, who moved to second base, and on the next at bat, Steven Kwan struck out Andrés Giménez from third base to cut the Yankees' lead to three runs.

Before the game, Boone said he debated whether to add Rizzo to the roster until Sunday night.

He said he watched Rizzo closely during the bye week and while working as a non-roster player during the ALDS. Boone said Rizzo seemed to be doing well in defensive drills and his batting practice looked surprisingly good and healthy, even though he didn't get a chance to face pitching live. Rizzo instead struck out using the Yankees' high-tech Trajekt pitching machine to simulate live at-bats.

“It’s just pain,” Rizzo said in a pregame interview. “It's only temporary and the 50,000 people in the stands and the adrenaline and what's at stake will outweigh the pain I'll feel.”

He expected the emotions that come with playing in the postseason to strengthen him, too.

“That’s what you play for,” Rizzo said. “The clock is just ticking at my age and I’m getting older. You just never know when you'll ever have the opportunity to play for a pennant again. You shouldn’t take any of this for granted.”

Boone said Rizzo was “pretty adamant” that he was ready to play. The manager said he was also encouraged by Rizzo's attacks in September. Although Rizzo posted just a .660 OPS in 22 games this month, Boone said he believes Rizzo has turned things around.

“He just had top-notch hitting every day,” Boone said. “Hopefully he can continue to provide that at the end (of the lineup).”

Rizzo did it in Game 1. Whether he can do it again in Game 2 depends on how he feels when he wakes up on Tuesday and whether the text message he sends to Boone warrants a reply with a happy emoji.

“I plan on being in there,” Rizzo said.

(Top photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)