Anthony Rizzo spent more than two months trying to decipher what physical symptoms represented the typical grind of a 162-game season played all over the nation, or something more.
After his head collided with Fernando Tatis Jr.’s hip on a play at first base during Memorial Day weekend, Rizzo believed everything was fine, but even then, he was battling to figure out if the fatigue he felt was the normal wear and tear of the baseball season, or lingering effects of something else.
“When it happened, we flew to Seattle that day. Whenever you go out west, for me, throughout my career, you’re always a little more tired, so I really didn’t think anything of it,” Rizzo said. “Woke up with a little bit of back pain, but that was quickly addressed, and we were ready to go.
“We did the standard league testing. I think that was good. The baseline for that was fine. There were really no symptoms. It’s not like I had headaches afterwards or were losing memory afterwards… our training staff handled it very well. It’s something the neurologist said…you don’t necessarily feel the initial blow. Every concussion is different.”
Rizzo was putting up All-Star numbers before boarding that flight to Seattle, batting over .300 with an .880 OPS. In the two-plus months that followed, Rizzo became, statistically, the worst hitter in baseball among qualified players, and Rizzo spent those two months searching for what was going wrong.
But it became clear that it wasn’t a typical slump that all players endure.
“In this game, you try to figure out what’s going on whenever you’re struggling,” Rizzo said. “I’ve struggled plenty in this game, but I’ve also done it for a long time to know you usually come out, and there’s signs of coming out. I remember talking to someone and they asked if I felt like I was going to come out of it soon, and I honestly said ‘No, I don’t.’”
So, after reporting “fogginess” to the team this past weekend, Rizzo eventually underwent neurological testing (though he played in three more games after reporting the symptoms, which Aaron Boone telling reporters that there was no consideration to sitting him). When the tests revealed “cognitive impairment,” there was alarm for Rizzo, but also relief that he finally had clarity on why he couldn’t seem to make contact at the plate.
Now, he can only hope his reaction time and vision returns to normal in time to help the team down the stretch as they try to chase down a playoff spot.
“Over the last few weeks, you start going to your different checklists of mechanics, timing, consistently being late…talking with the training staff, we got an appointment with one of the best neurologists in the world,” Rizzo said. “They ran tests, and everything they came back with came back with a silver lining of I’m not crazy for walking back to the dugout thinking ‘man, how did I miss that pitch?’ or when I swung at a pitch, thinking it was in one location and going back to the video and it was in a different location.
“Tests came back saying I’m moving slower than the normal person’s reaction time would be. That’s definitely alarming, especially with what we do for a living. The good news is, they said with the regimen they put me on, it should fully heal.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
Listen live to WFAN:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker (just say ‘Play W-F-A-N’)