


Anthony Rizzo’s roller-coaster season is finished.
The Yankees first baseman has been shut down as he continues to address his brain health.
Rizzo has not played since Aug. 1, after which he acknowledged a fogginess that doctors and the club believe stems from post-concussion syndrome.
Rizzo has not encountered a setback, Aaron Boone said, but he has not yet been cleared to play.
With the Yankees out of the playoff hunt and with Rizzo due for another checkup in “another couple of weeks,” the manager said, the decision was made that Rizzo will not return this season.
“I would say everything is going well,” Boone said before the Yankees opened a series with the Tigers in The Bronx. “His most recent checkup was all the things we’re looking for as far as his improvements.
“We’re just kind of up against the clock. But he’s continuing to work out — he’s continuing to make all the right cognitive improvements.”
The Yankees believe Rizzo’s brain injury was suffered on May 28, during a collision with the Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. at first base.
Rizzo finished that game with an .880 OPS and 11 home runs in 53 games, putting together the makings of what might have been an All-Star season.
After the crash with Tatis, he posted a .496 OPS with one home run in 46 games, a plummet during which his reaction time fell.
In his check-ups, Rizzo’s reaction time has been monitored as he tries to return to the player he was.
Boone said that because of the progress Rizzo has seen, he hopes there will be no lingering effects in Rizzo’s future.
Rizzo had wanted to return this season, but Boone said the slugger understood the decision.
“I think he’s in a good place,” Boone said. “I think the doctors and he have seen the progress they’ve wanted to see. I feel like he’s encouraged by where he’s at.”