It is possible that no Yankee, Aaron Judge included, has been more valuable than the steady Anthony Rizzo this season.
Which made a banged-up Rizzo getting pulled for what the club called “precautionary reasons” Sunday particularly worrisome.
Rizzo hurt his neck while applying a pick-off tag to Fernando Tatis Jr. in the sixth inning of a game the Yankees were leading, 8-3, over the Padres in The Bronx.
Kyle Higashioka caught strike three, which sat down Xander Bogaerts, and fired a back-pick to Rizzo at first.
Tatis was caught off the bag but tried to quick-foot his way back to the base without sliding.
Rizzo applied the inning-ending slap-tag and got tangled with Tatis, whose hip knocked into Rizzo’s head.
Rizzo stumbled for a few steps, took a knee and was on the infield dirt for several minutes.
Rizzo walked off under his own power and was replaced in the top of the seventh.
Greg Allen entered to play left field, which pushed Isiah Kiner-Falefa to third base, which pushed DJ LeMahieu to first.
