Around the Empire: Yankees news - 8/4/23

AP | Jerry Beach: You’ve likely heard by now, but the Yankees placed first baseman Anthony Rizzo on the Injured List Thursday afternoon after diagnosing him with post-concussion syndrome. When did said concussion happen, you ask? Well that would be way back in May, when Rizzo collided with Fernando Tatis Jr. who was jumping back to first base. Rizzo has been quite literally the worst hitter in baseball since that play, and nearly everyone has made note of it as a likely source of injury — everyone except the Yankees, apparently.

Rizzo recently began feeling increased symptoms in the Orioles series and brought this up to manager Aaron Boone ... who continued to play him in the Rays series. I cannot overstate how wildly the Yankees have mismanaged this situation, and rest assured there will be more penned on the matter later in the day.

Sports Illustrated | Patrick McAvoy: As Rizzo goes on the IL, a former Yankees first baseman is going on the open market again. Luke Voit opted out of his minor league contract with the Mets last night, electing free agency after tearing it up and clubbing 13 homers in 37 games. Voit’s major league success has been limited in his time since getting traded away from the Yankees but he was once one of the core parts of the offense and a one-time league home run champ in the shortened 2020 season ... and he was replaced by Anthony Rizzo. It would be an ironic twist of fate if he could fill in for Rizzo now when the Yankees desperately need a jolt for their offense. Will they opt to go this route? Who knows, but I’d like to root for the big slugger again.

MLB.com | Jesse Borek: Anthony Seigler apparently has some ambidextrous skill when it comes to fielding, but you wouldn’t have known it until Wednesday night when he took the field in left. Seigler has spent his professional career as a catcher, which basically automatically locks you into being a right-handed receiver, but Seigler grew up playing the outfield with a glove on his right hand and opted to go back to his origins when he was asked to field there for the first time in Double-A.

CBS Sports | Steven Taranto: You may remember seeing a viral video from a month ago of a young girl drilling a local politician at a parade with a water balloon, and as it turns out they were a Long Island native. With such an upcoming talent in their backyard, the Yankees took some time to invite Alexa Cardona out to the Stadium on Tuesday to watch batting practice live. The video drew plenty of remarks about how the team might as well sign her today since they needed some rotation help, so keep an eye on this rising star for the next decade or so.