Yankees slugger goes on IL with 'likely' concussion traced back to May

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo has been struggling for much of the 2023 season and now we might have some answers as to why.

The Yankees announced on Thursday that Rizzo is being placed on the injured list with a "likely" concussion.

That news on its own would be concerning, because head injuries are nothing to take lightly. 

But what makes this development so concerning is that the Yankees said this issue goes all the way back to a May collision with Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres.

The official reason for the IL trip is "post concussion syndrome."

When Rizzo was originally involved in the collision, he was sidelined for the next three games with a neck issue and passed all concussion protocols. But Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on Thursday that Rizzo recently started complaining of "fogginess." They were able to trace it back to the collision with Tatis Jr..

This news is extremely eye-opening when you look at Rizzo's numbers for the season.

He was off to an incredible start in April and May, posting an OPS of .845 and .917 in those months. He was one of the best hitters on the team in the midst of a major bounce back season.

But ever since the start of June -- right after the collision -- his performance has plummeted, with Rizzo posting an OPS in the .530 range. 

It is staggering that he has apparently been playing the past two months with a concussion issue that has clearly negatively impacted his performance. It is also another black eye for one of the most disappointing Yankees teams in quite some time. They are in last place in the American League East, did nothing significant at the trade deadline to either sell or buy and now word gets out that one of their top players has tried to play through a concussion for the past two months. 

Just a miserable season in every way. It is the type of season that might lead to some major changes in the offseason.