The Yankees are shutting down veteran first baseman Anthony Rizzo for the remainder of the season, manager Aaron Boone announced Tuesday.
The 34-year-old was placed on the injured list on Aug. 3 with post-concussion syndrome, which the team believed stemmed from a collision with Padres’ shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. back in May.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Boone indicated that while Rizzo has made cognitive improvements, New York is running out of time to get him back into the fold in 2023. According to Gary Phillips, Boone said the three-time All-Star has not yet been cleared to play, and that doctors wanted to conduct another checkup on Rizzo in a few weeks time.
With just 25 games remaining in the regular season and the Yankees falling out of playoff contention, the team is opting to get Rizzo ready for the 2024 campaign rather than rush him back to action this year.
Rizzo took live batting practice at the organization’s complex in Florida in late August. At the time, Boone described Rizzo’s status as being “week-to-week.”
Rizzo, who was in his third season in New York and 13th in MLB, recorded a career-worst .706 OPS in 2023. He hit 12 home runs, recorded 44 RBI and struck out 97 times in 99 games.
