How did they let this go on for so long?
Anthony Rizzo is on the disabled list, and there are major questions why it took so long for the Yankees to put him there. On Thursday it was announced that Rizzo would hit the DL due to concussion symptoms, before manager Aaron Boone spoke to the press and revealed something stunning about the nature of his injury.
Rizzo’s collision with Fernando Tatis Jr. isn’t something that happened a few days ago, or even a couple of weeks back — it happened on May 28th, over two MONTHS ago. It’s no coincidence that following that May 28 game against the Padres that Rizzo’s slump began, and his lack of form has been precipitous since being hurt.
It was abundantly clear to Yankees fans that Rizzo was suffering from a major slump, but apparently an issue only dawned on the Yankees months after he was forced to leave a game after a major collision. Boone said that Rizzo went through post-concussion protocol following the game, but “only recently” began to complain of fogginess.
Anthony Rizzo is going on the IL with a “likely” concussion that can be traced back to his collision with Fernando Tatis Jr. back in May
“He went through MLB, all the testing immediately [after the Tatis collision]. Of late, started to complain [about] being foggy” pic.twitter.com/Y1QpqJL8LH
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 3, 2023
This raises major questions not only about the Yankees staff that failed to identify Rizzo’s precipitous drop in play following the May 28 collision, but also the MLB concussion protocols in place that would allow Rizzo to return to the field so quickly after the collision when it’s now clear that he suffered a serious concussion.
Not only did Rizzo get approved by protocol to return, but he played three games the week following the Padres’ game in which the injury was sustained.
The lack of care also warrants discussion when it comes to the Yankees season in general. The team is trying to make a desperate push into the postseason, as it works to fight its way out of last place in the AL East.
Neither MLB now the MLBPA have issued a statement about Rizzo’s concussion and his treatment at this time.
