MLB fans ripped the Yankees for letting Anthony Rizzo play 2 months with ‘likely’ undiagnosed concussion

The New York Yankees suddenly have something a lot more pressing to answer for than their disappointing 2023 season.

After announcing that Anthony Rizzo would be going to the IL with a concussion on Thursday, manager Aaron Boone made an important clarification about the injury. He said that Rizzo’s concussion likely dated back to a collision with Fernando Tatis Jr. during a series against the San Diego Padres. Oh, alright. Well, it’s good to know they know when it happened, I suppose.

Except the said collision with Tatis Jr. happened in late May. Either the Yankees failed to diagnose Rizzo properly, or they just ignored any signs altogether, but this situation doesn’t have the best optics already.

Anthony Rizzo is going on the IL with a "likely concussion" that they're traced back to the Tatis Jr. incident in late May

(via @ChrisKirschner) pic.twitter.com/N9RpgYpqUF

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 3, 2023

Rizzo has continued to be an everyday player for the Yankees since that Padres series. He cleared initial concussion protocols, but evidently, those weren’t extensive enough. This is two months of Rizzo needing help with severe brain trauma and not getting it. I don’t know who screwed up or how, but that is unacceptable.

Plus, if that isn’t enough, Rizzo reportedly told the Yankees he was experiencing brain “fogginess” — a classic symptom of a concussion — and they still played him in two recent games against the Tampa Bay Rays.

I mean, come on.

The Yankees said that Rizzo mentioned the “fogginess” at the end of the Orioles series, when he went 0-for-5 with 5 K’s. He still played in the next two games vs. Tampa Bay.

— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) August 3, 2023

Whatever happened with Rizzo here, it’s inexcusable, and I’d love to hear a logically sound explanation from the Yankees about it.