New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo left his team’s loss to the Boston Red Sox early Sunday morning after an awkward collision while running the bases.
Rizzo grounded out in the seventh inning of a 9-3 loss and immediately ran toward first base. As he reached the bag, he collided with Red Sox reliever Brennan Bernardino and landed awkwardly on his right wrist, which he immediately grabbed as he rolled across the grass.
Rizzo was safe, as Bernardino dropped the pitch just before contact, but was quickly removed from the game. He was replaced by pinch-runner Oswaldo Cabrera.
Rizzo will undergo more tests on Monday. It is unclear how serious his injury is or how long he will be sidelined.
“We’ll see,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “The initial image… was negative, but he feels some pain in that type of forearm in several places. “Obviously, they will do a lot of tests tomorrow and you will see what we are up against.”
Rizzo, 34, has a .223 batting average and eight home runs and 28 RBIs this season, his third full year with the Yankees. Sunday’s injury was reminiscent of one he suffered last year, when he collided with Fernando Tatis Jr. at first base. That ended up ending his season early due to post-concussion syndrome.
Although the Yankees trailed by just one run when Rizzo left the game, the Red Sox pulled ahead for a six-run victory at Fenway Park, thanks in part to Connor Wong’s two-run triple in the bottom of the seventh. Boston had an incredible nine stolen bases in the victory, the most in the league in a single game this season and the most the Yankees have allowed since 1915.
The Yankees, who have lost three of their last four, have a record of 50-24 and lead the American League East. On Tuesday they will begin a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles.
