The Yankees are placing first baseman Anthony Rizzo on the injured list today, with Aaron Boone telling reporters that Rizzo has a “likely” concussion. He says the club has traced this to a collision he had with Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres on May 28, per Deesha Thosar of Fox Sports. Rizzo passed concussion protocol at the time but recently complained of fogginess, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. He will be evaluated week to week while Jake Bauers and DJ LeMahieu handle first base, per Hoch. The club has now made it official, listed Rizzo’s ailment as post-concussion syndrome. Infielder/outfielder Oswaldo Cabrera was recalled in a corresponding move.
It’s an unusual injured list move, as players with concussions or concussion-like symptoms usually find themselves out of action in the immediate aftermath of the event in question. In this instance, the Yankees seem to believe Rizzo is being impacted by something that happened over two months ago. The play in question can be seen in this video, relayed on Twitter by Talkin’ Baseball. The slow motion replay appears to show Tatis, while attempting to get back to first on a pickoff throw from the catcher, make contact with Rizzo’s head via his hip. Rizzo then appears visibly dizzy in the moments after.
Rizzo was removed from that game and sat out the club’s next three contests, but was back in the lineup June 2. He’s hit .172/.271/.225 in 192 plate appearances since that collision, which perhaps lends credence to the idea that he has been affected in some way. Still, it seems strange on the surface that it took over two months to hone in on a diagnosis. Rizzo himself tells Hoch that he was more tired of late but thought it was just due to the typical grind of the season. He added that he would sometimes wake up feeling hungover and forget the number of outs during games. “I didn’t just forget how to do this all of a sudden,” he said, in reference to his declining results. It seems the situation is still evolving, with the club planning to reevaluate Rizzo regularly in the weeks to come in order to navigate a path forward.
Rizzo’s struggles have been just one part of a fairly tepid Yankee offense this year, as they were also without Aaron Judge for almost two months. He was on the IL from early June to late July thanks to a right great toe sprain. Overall, the club is hitting .231/.302/.404 for a wRC+ of 95 this year, with that mark placing them 21st out of the 30 clubs in the majors.
There are lots of moving pieces in the position player mix now, with Judge back but having served as the designated hitter recently. That’s pushed Giancarlo Stanton into the outfield alongside players like Bauers, Harrison Bader, Billy McKinney, Greg Allen and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. LeMahieu and Kiner-Falefa have also been splitting third base with Josh Donaldson on the injured list, but it seems like Bauers and LeMahieu will now be covering first as well. Cabrera should be able to be plugged in wherever needed, as he’s played all four infield positions and the outfield corners.
lordeth
Luke Voit’s phone is lighting ^
Was just thinking this and was going to post it. You beat me to it.
Just heard Rizzo was seen beating his head against a wall repeating “I’m a Yankee, I’m a Yankee”, hence the concussion…
@Doom & Bloom- Definitely and a great call!
Oh what that Wildwood Missouri guy?
Lol crickets Joe Morgan…. crickets
His headband alone would have prevented Rizzos said 2 month old “concussion”
Rizzo, Rick Ankiel woke up one day and forgot how to pitch…. then he started hitting homeruns and throwing strikes to thrid base from the right center field wall
Stranger things have happened…
just saying suggestion from his agent
Your beloved Scott Boras
A concussion from late May? Had a feeling these Yankee doctors were quacks. Isn’t this proof of that?
The type, intensity, and duration of concussion symptoms can be all over the place.
It’s up to the player to complain. Athletes are trained to fight through injuries. You don’t know. it also could have been minor as it doesn’t take much to offset your eyesight and balance when trying to hit a baseball.
The problem is, we’re talking about sports medical teams here. They’re supposed to be professionals of the highest degree. They should be able to tel that Rizzo had a concussion two months ago, that’s their job.
Not of the symptoms don’t manifest and Rizzo is not complaining. How long does it take for some to seek medical care? Many go immediately while others think it’ll get better on its own, it’s no big deal, ect.
I think it’s proof of how little you understand about brain injuries tbh.
It’s also proof of how little Yankee docs know about brain injuries.
Desmond passed concussion protocol in LOST…. Just saying…
Sounds more like Rizzo making excuses because he isn’t doing well.
This is the only correct answer
BS. He’s got a contract for next year. Why would he pretend? No benefit at this point.
Dewey – Pretend to what? Be terrible at the plate? He’s doing a good enough job at that without having to pretend. And since he’s under contract for ‘24, all the more reason to sit. He has zero incentive to step on the field.
That’s the reason why he’s doing it.
Athletes have pride and the last thing they want to do is sit. He was playing through what didn’t seem like much but to hit a baseball consistently you need perfect eyesight and coordination.
I’m usually negative but this to me explains why he’s having the worst season of his career.
PRIDE… he got the concussion in June…
Sounds more like Rizzo trying to play through the difficulties of a concussion for 2 months before finally realizing it’s not working. Why some people think players are “soft” and deserving of having their character questioned is beyond me.
Agreed.
@cplwhite you are 100% right. These guys are athletes. All players play through injuries. Lets just say he is injured, ok so what? Hes played through it and its been 2 months already. Everyguy deals with injuries in the MLB. This post concussion stuff just seems like an excuse for poor performance
@cpl, Rizzo is one the few real baseball players who is a genuine good dude. By your post I guess your make a wish hasnt been granted but no worries, I hope you get it soon.
This has been a major topic of discussion among Yankees Twitter for 2 months but the team is just now noticing? Just the latest example of incompetence
Rizzo has a two month old concussion, German decides to go into rehab the day after the trade deadline. Baseball must suck in the Bonx when you’re not doing well…
And in the Bronx, too. 😉
Better to be a Yankee fan than follow the team that does at least one LOL moment a week.
Both are mediocre. So I’m not sure what being slightly better than mediocre amounts to.
Still, Mets are at least trying to look toward the future. Yankees needed to get younger three years ago.
Mets future looks brighter than the Yankees at the moment, imo. Yankees also have a bloated payroll but did nothing at the deadline to help them this year or going forward. Yanks payroll for next year with Arb increases is already over $250 million. One of the worst farm systems in baseball, too. Also seems like scratching German from a start, saying he’s so hurt he can’t even play catch, then an hour later having him come in to pitch 5 innings of relief is a LOL moment.
He got it right. Too many bonx on the noggin.
It took 2 months to diagnose a concussion? His paltry results at the plate should have been a red flag from the start…
I do agree with the Yankees’ team staff, it should have been investigated much earlier given his lack of hitting.
What’s pathetic is that he played the next game and according to Boone, the medical staff cleared him… nj.com/yankees/2023/05/how-yankees-anthony-rizzo-f…
That is absolutely unacceptable. What is going on in that organization?
Who cares? Have you ever been in a collision and you felt fine initially but later developed symptoms?
No I agree with you, I’m just questioning the Yankees medical staff. This is easily one of the most wealthy organizations in sports, they should have the best trainers and doctors at their disposal.
We’re on the same page. With so much money spent you would have thought the team has baseball experts going through every at bat, every bit of film at first base, etc. with a medical person where one explains what looks off (the doctor) and the other explaining for baseball what might be normal.
I don’t play baseball but I am going thru a concussion (have been for months) they test me weekly… they don’t test my performance at my job they test my eyes sensitivity to lite they test hand eye coordination they do Ct scans eegs they do mri’s… point is SOMEONE should have done these tests even after being cleared to return to work… I don’t necessarily blame the Yankees I blame there medical staff.. is it possible that maybe mlb should set up an independent medical staff for concussions and not let the team run there own?? I don’t doubt that he was cleared I question WHY where follow ups not run?? Concussions are serious!!!
He got a pat on the back and then…get out there kid no more follow ups… I fought hard to get back to work but I have to do follow ups every week I would guess an mlb medical team could do the same…. Maybe auto body gets better medical treatment then an mlb player… I get mine is probably worse then his but he’s going thru a lot that maybe could have been caught now it’s going to be harder for him…. It’s not his batting average it’s a real person fuzzy sucks it should have been caught earlier don’t mean he can’t play ball but the tests should have been done why where they not??
It’s mind boggling especially when the Yankees organization should have some of the best doctors at their disposal. Reporters should be asking Boone and Cashman this question, concussions are no joke as you mentioned in your example of what you’re going through.
This is a lot more complicated than you realize. There are plenty of injuries that the only way to know there is a concussion is if the player reports his symptoms or someone else feels he is acting off and reports it. There are no blood tests to say someone had a concussion and imaging is usually negative. It is entirely possible that the medical staff was not even aware. There are a lot of things about this story that are weird for a concussion and I’m sure now he’ll get a full evaluation. I don’t know anything about the Yankee athletic trainers but the neurologist they consult is excellent and I would trust him completely.
We often don’t do a lot of these tests unless symptoms have been ongoing for 3+ months. They tend to be unhelpful and are often not indicated unless there is something in the history. It’s obviously a case by case basis but I wouldn’t criticize anyone for not doing them if Rizzo said he felt better (or high presumably he did if he got cleared). Unfortunately none of the tests are perfect. Neurocognitive testing is often done before clearing a player but it is possible to pass it while still being concussed. A lot of time doctor are dependent on the player being honest about how he feels.
So NOW he will get a full evaluation….why now??? Why not before? Again I don’t blame the Yankees at all I’m just serious when it comes to tbi injuries!!! Their neurologist is horrible he should be dismissed you think he’s great??? He didn’t care about the player or he would DO HIS JOB!!!! He would order said tests but again he don’t he pats the butt and says get out there son…. Your right some of them them tests don’t show everything (they show a lot) but a simple eye test shows alot
It’s not what rizzo says… get the tests done!!! You’re allowed to play but you will do follow ups every week!!! It’s not that hard
There are no tests to diagnose a concussion. There is no blood test/biomarker and imaging is neither helpful nor indicated acutely after a concussion (most consider imaging by definition to be negative). None of the tests you mentioned would typically be done unless he had been complaining of refractory symptoms (which technically at 2 months he still isn’t since normal recovery is up to 3 months). You actually have no idea what follow up he got. If he went to neuro and said I’m feeling better and passed his neurocognitive testing then why would these tests need to be done? And why would he be followed every week? Concussion is monophasic so once you’re better there really isn’t need for further testing or monitoring once you complete the protocol and are back. I’m sure rizzo was required to go through a gradual return to play protocol which he presumably said he tolerated well or he wouldn’t have been cleared. Unfortunately with concussion there is no way to look at a patient to know if they are recovered or not and none of the tests you are demanding would be helpful acutely (again specifically for concussion, more severe tbi is a different story). It’s very dependent on the player reporting symptoms or someone who knows the player noticing he’s acting off and reporting it. If he was forgetting outs I’d say he should have told someone that or someone in the Yankee dugout should have noted he was acting funny and that would have triggered an evaluation. If rizzo was complaining that he still didn’t feel well then I would say you’re right he should not have been cleared to play, should have had additional evaluation, and been followed more closely but nowhere does it say that was the case.
And that is 100% incorrect. You should not play in games if you are still concussed or experiencing symptoms (should be exercising and following the RTP protocol). Baseball is a little different than other contact or collision sports just because it’s lower risk but it would not be typical to clear a guy to play while still undergoing workup. I’m a little confused what you think these tests are going to show? Imaging is negative in concussion and EEGs are only indicated in some situations if there are paroxysmal symptoms or more severe injuries. Oculomotor testing, balance testing, coordination would all be looked at in the office during the physical exam and can be normal even in a concussion. The problem with concussion is that it’s very heterogeneous and a symptom based approach is necessary. So your experience is not everyone’s experience and what was necessary for you is not necessary for everyone. You’re saying this all because now 2 months later it is coming out that he doesn’t feel well but you actually have no idea what was done or what he said and how he felt for the last 2 months.
Boone was only hired, because he’s the ultimate “yes” man and he’s friendly with the television side of baseball.
The Yankees have zero 1st base prospects. Could Bauers be a capable replacement for Rizzo permanently moving forward?
Mets may be willing to trade Alonso, but probably not to the Yankees.
@rodcannon: “Mets may be willing to trade Alonso,”
While anything is possible, I just don’t see it. I think the Mets will give him a Lindor-level mega deal.
Many scouts think Austin Wells would be better suited for first than catching.
Unless Bauers, who I do like, is capable of banging to the tune of 20+ HR’s, power to the gaps, and a better average than .235…..he’s not the answer….shame on the Yankees not to have anybody internally they can rely on…..they need to STOP drafting SS’s thinking they can play all over the diamond…..do you think Volpe for example would play 3b or 1b capably and provide the pop that corner infielders need to have?
Bauers has nearly a .800 OPS 56 games in now and his statcast data isn’t too shabby either. He’s drawn fans’ ire because he’s not too good in LF, but anytime a player is a 1B/OFer… you can probably just assume their glove stinks in the OF.
My guess is DJ takes over primary 1B duties with Bauers filling in there regularly and IKF taking over in LF if Bauers isn’t there. That being said, Florial or even Pereira should be called up ASAP.
Luke Voit also is a FA now and was crushing in AAA. Doesn’t mean he’ll do anything back in the MLB, but what else do the Yanks have to lose right now when they’re in last place?
Cashman will not bring Voit back…..Mancini just cleared waivers….if they make a move, it will be him not Luke……
Not so sure, after seeing how this past deadline went, maybe the Yankees will file for bankruptcy? It makes me laugh regarding the luxury tax, aren’t the Yankees worth $7.6 billion now? They can’t make a couple of moves, for a better chance to secure a wild card? It’s quite comical really. Smh. Since they wanna save so much $ don’t be shocked to see a Luke Voit reunion. Mancini would be a nice get, even though he’s right-handed like Voit. Where you at Estevan Florial? Yes tearing it up at AAA, nice!
The Yankees will get all those dudes. It will be like obtaining big bats at the deadline lol. Isn’t a Cashmans punchline every year
Wally Pipp had a headache too.
Pretty certain he spent time on the DL for the same thing randomly last year too.
Dr. Boonedoggle to the press conference. Stat!
Trash Yankees rely on a bunch of bozos and have no depth. That’s why they suck
Crankees drama aside, Rizzo is cancer survivor , and really doesn’t deserve additional health issues. Heal up Anthony. You are strong.
Shame on you posters btw who say he’s making excuses.
Boone and Cashman should both be gone after all of this Shenanigans, but that won’t end up happening, because Cashman is considered family now.
The Yankees also have the most wins in MLB since he has been their GM. That probably factors in too. 30 straight years of having a winning record will buy a little wiggle room in a season full of injuries including the reigning AL MVP.
Thanks to Gene Michael, Kim Ng, and George Steinbrenner. Fun fact: trust fund babies usually have the most dollars compared to people who worked for their money as well.
Nice! Gene Michael died 6 years ago. Kim Ng hasn’t worked with the Yankees in over 20 years, and the Big Boss died 13 years ago. Cashman has been with the Yankees since 1986 and has been the GM since 1998. It’s ok to be a hater, but his success as an MLB GM is sort of undisputable. I do enjoy the personal attacks though.
What success? The first four WS he had zero part of, or the only other WS that hinged on George’s dying breath?
I know that some only measure success in WS rings. I was talking about having the most wins in MLB since Cashman has been the GM and 30 straight seasons of having a winning record. I was using winning MLB games as a measure of success. By that measure he is the best.
You are correct
Luke Voit! Let’s go!
It’s like a obtainng a big bat at the trade deadline !
This reminds me of when Teixeira was unknowingly playing with a broken leg and slumping.
Posted on other board. Objective view. Boone is a magician. Yanks over 500 with judge and basically aaaa lineup.
Cole and meh staff
When Brady Singer is pitching well , yanks no better than royals.
The Yankee medical staff should all be fired immediately…….unless Rizzo is just being convenient to agree with the medical possibility that he is actually experiencing post concussion issues……regardless, Yankee players deserve better than they are getting from both the medical and conditioning staff…….what a clown show!
who really owns this team…Putin.
The truth from this organization is an unknown quantity.
No worries, Cashman . He runs it like he does.
This certainly would explain a lot. Right up to the day of that injury he was playing like an all-star and since then he’s struggled in a way nobody’s seen since, I would guess, the year he first got called up by the Padres.
Concussions are serious but I suppose the good news is Rizo at least knows what’s happened now. It’s not like he can’t play anymore. He’s had a pretty nasty head injury.
I’m not saying that there’s a problem with their medical staff but between this and what they seem to have missed with Montas and Rodon, its not crazy to start asking questions.
here’s the final nail in the NYY seasons coffin.
This has to be malpractice. Yankee doctors are a joke. Organization becoming more and more of a clown show with every passing day
The Yankees actually have a great, very well respected neurologist they consult. I’d send my family members to him if they had a concussion. I’d be very hesitant to call something malpractice you have no idea about and this article doesn’t have enough information to call this malpractice. Concussions don’t have biomarkers or imaging abnormalities. Studies in athletes in multiple professional sports have shown visual signs are neither specific nor sensitive so there’s no test to say someone is concussed and there isn’t a reliable way to look at them and tell either. There are plenty of athletes that the only way to know they had a concussion is if they report their symptoms or someone reports they aren’t acting like themselves. If Rizzo didn’t report any symptoms it’s entirely possible even the best medical staff in the world would not have known. That’s not malpractice. We don’t actually know the doctors have seen him. Even clearance after a concussion is not perfect. There is neurocognitive testing that is done but people can pass that and still have a concussion. It again often has to do with symptoms. If Rizzo said he felt better (whether he did or not), his exam looked good, and he was fine cognitively he’d be cleared to play and it would be up to him to report he wasn’t feeling well. There are a lot of aspects of the reported history that are not typical of concussion that I’m sure they will have evaluated.
Baseballallday
The Yankees actually have a great, very well respected neurologist they consult.
==========================
Maybe, but this sounds crazy,
Rizzo is a very consistent hitter. He was having an AS season before the collision, with an .880 OPS. In the past two months, he has a .496 OPS. I wasn’t aware of the collision, so I chalked it up to the chronic back problems he’s had.
Had I known he was undergoing concussion protocols, then I’d have sent him to a neurologist or whoever handles these things. A complete hitting collapse, alongside forgetting the number of outs, could not be a more glaring symptom that something is wrong.
If he was complaining of symptoms I would agree with you. But if he didn’t tell anyone he was forgetting the number of outs then nobody would know to further evaluate. There are a million reasons people go through hitting slumps so that alone wouldn’t be enough to evaluate further for concussion. If the Yankee staff noticed he was off or had any reason to suspect his hitting slump was due to ongoing symptoms then he absolutely should have been sent back to neuro for a repeat eval. But I would put this on rizzo to say he had symptoms and the Yankees staff to identify he was acting off than on the neurologist who would have had no reason to follow up if rizzo said he felt better and was passing all of his tests.
In most athletes, there is a hit to the head and either the player himself reports symptoms or a teammate/medical staff notice a sign/unusual behavior that gets reported. This would trigger an evaluation. Part of the evaluation includes a physical exam to look at things like balance and eye movements but this exam can be normal even in people with a concussion. Another part of the eval is a symptom score which is completely subjective and dependent on the athlete being honest. Sometimes this is actually the only way to diagnose a concussion. Concussed athletes then undergo a return to play protocol throughout which they must remain asymptomatic. So if Rizzo hit his head and then said his symptoms resolved (whether they had or not) that’s really all the doctor had to go off of. Neurocognitive testing probably would have been performed as well but again isn’t perfect and even people with concussions can pass it especially if there wasn’t a baseline test to compare to. Because concussions are monophasic, once the athlete is cleared they really don’t need long term follow up because there shouldn’t be any worsening unless there is a new injury. The issue to me is we really don’t know what rizzo said to the doctors/medical staff or what evaluation was done. But I have met the neurologist the Yankees consult and have heard him speak a few times. He sees concussions all day and there is no way if the symptoms were reported that he didn’t adequately assess them.
Now there are some aspects to this story that are unusual and if true definitely require additional evaluation now that people are aware of it. Otherwise it’s all hindsight.
I got a concussion when i was 15 on the football field. For the next two years if i got hot i got a headache. If i continued past that point i would get nauseous and dizzy and have the symptoms of a concussion. Concussions can be tricky. The more you have the easier it seems for them to come back in my experience.
How does that explain his H/R splits?
Could be the Canadian wildfire smoke
Well, I’ll tell y’all what – we’re starting a set with the Yanks this evening, and, as usual, I’m concerned about my team’s chances in this series – Yankees continue to be the team that concerns me the most of any AL club, in head-to-head matchups. What a GREAT rivalry it’s been!
Can Chaparro play first base? He had a good Spring and has decent numbers at AAA
Over 2 months later? Ok I guess so but that sounds very unusual. Maybe not. I’m no doctor .
No, I think you are quite correct. If anyone in here started losing track stuff they do at work, or driving, or what day it was, etc., I’m guessing you’d mention that to your doctor. And if the dude couldn’t track outs, wouldn’t that be obvious to his teammates?
It is quite bizarre that no one in the organization noticed anything was wrong when fans did.
Lol. I’m not a doctor either, but I play one on TV? Make no mistake about it these Docs are a whole bunch of quacks. 2 months ago Rizzo was concussed, and these guy’s didn’t even now? Nice protocol!
I don’t know if they’re docs are quacks, but Cashman is a control freak who has ultimate control over everything. So I suspect this is on him. he may have been given information, that he discounted or did nothing about. We just don’t know what goes on behind the scenes there. look at Domingo,he didn’t suddenly develop an alcohol problem in one day . They only finally acted upon it when he blew up in the clubhouse finally ,in a drunken state.
Fark me. Bit going on with the Yankees. Not much of it good. Tough times.
MLB needs to step in and investigate the Yankees. This is inexcusable and should be an offense that requires selling the team.
Whenever a decision by Cashman goes to s*** suddenly the player comes down with a mysterious injury and hits the shelf. Then within moments the NY media comes out to say that the reason said player is struggling is because of an injury they have been fighting with. Then the sheep (IE the continual yankee fan who can’t say “no I’m not going to support a moronic front office any longer) agree and buy more tickets to the next game.
I don’t know who’s more concussed. Rizzo or the fans that keep supporting this miserable product.
I pray neither you nor any of your loved ones have to deal with the residual effects of a head injury. Its real. Its serious. It requires compassionate medical attention.
I know it hurts to lose a key contributor to your favorite team. And every baseball fan in the world benefits when the Yankees are good.
That’s why I hope Rizzo makes a full, speedy recovery and gets back to bashing. I want Yankee success that I can curse about.
Having had a concussion serious enough to knock me out cold for more than an hour, I can tell you, purely subjectively, because each person experiences them in their own way, that it wasn’t a fun experience. Recovery is not necessarily linear. Rizzo may need some time, and the Yankees are going to give it to him. Hopefully, he can return to good health and next year, if he strikes out, I can boo him without remorse. But for now, let’s respect the healing process,
and forget the number of outs during games.
=================================
Not for nothing, but something is seriously awry. Did Rizzo fail to notify the Yankees that he couldn’t keep track of the outs? Or did the Yankees fail to act?
Good luck and all, but that is seriously weird.
It’s probably something which has never happened to him. Earlier in the season, I remember Rizzo chewing out Kyle Higashioka in plainsight in the dugout after he forgot the number of outs while behind the plate.
Hey bleacher creatures. There needs to be an investigation by major league baseball on this. This is hopefully the last straw in the Cashman regime.
this demonstrates extreme negligence, on top of what we already know to be incompetence in the way in which this organization has been run for a while now.
Of course Mannfred is bought and paid for by major-league baseball owners, but he at least has to make a show of some sort of investigation of this. The player should’ve been on concussion protocols when this incident occurred, not two months later. does this embarrass Steinbrenner enough, to finally awaken from his malaise and get rid of the negligent incompetent control freak cashman, I hope so
I agree with every thing you’ve said but Rizzo also needed to speak up sooner about his symptoms if he felt out of whack. This is on him too.
I agree with that. Of course with the Yankees history of dealing with injuries in an incompetent manner, or late, I do not trust them or trust that he did speak up and they ignored it.Trevino, German, Clint frazier, to name just a few. they are not exactly transparent. it is interesting however and inconsistent, that while they allow some players to play through injury it appears, they have some sort of a rigid rest schedule on the other hand, which makes absolutely no sense to me.
Weird, but it explains how he went from having a great season to complete collapse, all times to that one play. Hopefully he gets well. Concussions can cause issues for quite sometime.
Wish Rizzo a speedy and full recovery. But that’s a moot point. Yankees are gonna be watching postseason baseball from their sofas.
With three or four exceptions, the team needs a complete overhaul. I think Cash knows it, but convincing HS of that is gonna be a tough sell. HS believes the Yankees being in the postseason every year is his birthright.
Everson Pereira crushing it at AAA hitting .341 with 5 dongs.
Yankees need OFFENSE.
Yankees call up Oswaldo again who is barely hitting is weight
Ugh