The New York Yankees shut down first baseman Anthony Rizzo for the rest of the 2023 season on Tuesday. Rizzo, 34, has been on the injured list since Aug. 3, when doctors diagnosed the Yankee slugger with post-concussion syndrome, which he had been playing through for more than two months. It turns out the decision to ultimately end Rizzo’s season came after a conversation with Cubs manager David Ross.
During Tuesday’s Yankees game against the Detroit Tigers, YES reporter Meredith Marakovits first brought up the conversation between Rizzo and Ross, which pretty much consisted of Ross advising Rizzo to undergo more testing after still not feeling himself several weeks after the undiagnosed concussion occurred.
Rizzo last played on Aug. 1.
Just a few weeks ago, Yankees manager Aaron Boone sounded optimistic that Rizzo would be back this season.
Well, according to Cubs radio announcer Zach Zaidman, Rizzo and Ross had a conversation when the Cubs were playing in New York. Here’s what Zaidman said during Wednesday’s game on 670 The Score.
Via NBC Sports Chicago.
Zach Zaidman of 670 the Score, during the Cubs’ victory over the Giants, elaborated on that report, revealing that Ross and Rizzo had spoken when the Cubs were in New York for a series against the Mets.
“Ross during his playing career dealt with several concussion issues. We all know Rossy and Rizz are good friends. When the Cubs were in New York to play the Mets, Ross and Rizzo had a conversation, and it’s because of Ross Anthony realized ‘I’m not feeling like myself because I have a brain injury,’” Zaidman reported. “After having that conversation with Ross, Rizzo got in touch with Rossy’s doctor, and it turns out the concussion issues were real, and they shut him down.”
Just to clear something up, Zaidman must have misspoken when mentioning the Cubs were in New York to play the Mets because by then Rizzo had already been placed on the injured list. Prior to the All-Star break, the Cubs played a three-game series against the Yankees in the Bronx from July 7-9.
It’s believed that Rizzo sustained the concussion against the San Diego Padres on May 28, when Fernando Tatis Jr. lunged back to first base, where Rizzo was covering the bag. Tatis’ leg struck Rizzo’s head in the hard collision that led to Rizzo not finishing the game and then sitting out a few more days before returning to the Yankees lineup.
Through May 28, Rizzo was on pace for another excellent season, posting an .880 OPS in a little over 200 at-bats to begin the season. However, from the date of the collision onward, Rizzo recorded a .496 OPS in his next 169 at-bats before he was finally placed on the injured list in early August.
Last November, Rizzo signed a two-year, $40 million contract that also includes a $17 million option for the 2025 season.
In a Q&A with The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner opened up about how he felt throughout the summer and eventually getting more tests done after feeling fogginess in late July, when the Yankees played the Orioles.
You always see pro athletes trying to downplay injuries and suck it up for the good of the team, but it’s good to see that Rizzo and Ross have a strong bond that after their conversation, Rizzo was more open to figuring out what the real issue was with him.
