Yankees' Anthony Rizzo Talks Concussion Protocol amid IL Stint: 'No One Missed This'

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who landed on the injured list with post-concussion syndrome on Thursday stemming from a May 28 collision with San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr., told Chris Kirschner of The Athletic that he doesn't feel anyone is at fault for how his situation was handled.

"No one missed this," Rizzo said.

"Yes, it was missed. You had two months of me looking like I had no idea what I was doing but I was competing with the best I have. The training staff didn't miss this. I don't think I missed this. We combined and said let's make sure we can see if something happened. I don't know.

"I'm happy I got tested because honestly this can really change the way baseball does their protocols. I'm not saying they need to change. I've had some guys reach out and say, 'I feel these symptoms, too. I had this happen before and I felt like I lost it.' When you hear that from other guys, it's like all right, maybe there's something to this."

The Yankees initially reported that Rizzo had a neck injury, and he missed four days. During that span, he passed MLB's concussion protocol test.

Rizzo did not report feeling any physical symptoms until he told the team of fogginess he experienced while during last weekend's series with Baltimore. He remained in the lineup until Wednesday, when the team had him undergo neurological tests.

Boone told Kirschner why Rizzo was kept in the lineup despite reporting the fogginess. Per Kirschner, Boone said "he had no reservations about keeping Rizzo in the lineup Sunday, Monday and Tuesday even after he reported fogginess because Rizzo wanted to continue playing, the medical staff signed off on it, and because he still exhibited no troubling signs."

Then the neurological tests came on Wednesday, and they revealed numerous concerns.

"Testing showed Rizzo's reaction time was slower than what is considered normal," Kirschner wrote.

"Even though he was never diagnosed with a concussion, Rizzo said the neurological experts suggested that because there was an associated trauma with the collision, it's plausible that there was a likely concussion and he was exhibiting cascading effects."

Like Rizzo, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman believes everything was handled properly.

"I would just say that these things are not easy to try to put this in a fair and understandable light," Cashman said.

"When people get diagnosed with whatever in a general catchall, it's based on information that is measurable provided by the patient. Doctors get involved with diagnostic testing that's clearly seen and measured as well as feedback from patients and they come up with a diagnosis. I believe that that process was in place on May 28, 29, 30, and it's the same process that exists today. I think the medical team reacted appropriately then and they're reacting properly now to the information."

Manager Aaron Boone also echoed a similar sentiment.

"No. I think we always, always err on the side of protecting players and making sure they're getting the best possible diagnosis, treatments, while understanding guys play with stuff all of the time," Boone said when asked if there's anything he would have changed.

Rizzo was hitting .303 with an .884 OPS prior to May 28. Per Kirschner, Rizzo's 44 wRC+, .172 batting average, .225 slugging and .496 OPS since May 28 are all last out of 168 qualified hitters. Rizzo's struggles were more pronounced since July 25, going 4-of-29 with 10 strikeouts, including five alone against the Orioles on Sunday.

With Rizzo out, the Yankees have turned to Jake Bauers to handle first base duties.