Yankees' Anthony Rizzo Shut Down for Season; Was on IL with Post-Concussion Syndrome

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo will miss the remainder of the 2023 MLB season due to post-concussion syndrome, manager Aaron Boone told reporters Tuesday.

Rizzo has been on the injured list since last month.

"You wake up some days feeling not very good; some days, you feel better," Rizzo told reporters in August. "That's kind of normal throughout the year. It was more walking back and saying, 'Man, I don't understand how I missed that pitch.' I would swing at a pitch middle-away, and I thought it was three feet off the plate. Things like that really started making me concerned."

The Yankees believe Rizzo was originally concussed during a May 28 collision with San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. While Rizzo passed MLB concussion protocol testing, he dealt with consistent tiredness in the proceeding months and eventually went to the Yankees medical staff.

Further testing determined Rizzo was suffering from a cognitive impairment, which impacted his performance throughout the 2023 season. The slugger hit .244/.328/.378 with 12 home runs and 41 runs batted in, with his power numbers in particular taking a massive dip from the 32 homers he slugged in 2022.

The decline of Rizzo was part of a larger power outage for the Yankees, who head into the final stretch of games as one of baseball's most disappointing teams. Despite winning six of its last seven games, New York is 68-69 on the season and in last place in the AL East.

Doctors expect Rizzo to return to full health ahead of the 2024 season.