SEATTLE — Anthony Rizzo woke up Monday morning with a stiff neck, but he felt fortunate that was the only repercussion from Fernando Tatis Jr. colliding with him on Sunday.
The Yankees’ first baseman remained out of the lineup Tuesday night against the Mariners, but said he was feeling better and hoped to return either for the series finale Wednesday or the series opener against the Dodgers on Friday.
“It could have been a lot worse, so thankful there was no concussion or anything like that,” Rizzo said before the Yankees beat the Mariners 10-2 at T-Mobile Park.
The collision happened on a pickoff play, with Tatis remaining upright as he raced back to first base, where his leg thumped Rizzo’s neck.
Rizzo declined to comment when asked if he had an issue with the way Tatis came back into the bag, calling it “just a hard play.”
“I wasn’t expecting the bang-bang like that as far as him coming in standing,” Rizzo said. “Usually guys slide when it’s that close. Just startled, really, more than anything.”
Anthony Rizzo, who injured his neck against the Padres in the Yankees’ home finale, is hoping to return for the final road game vs. the Mariners or against the Dodgers in the next series.Robert Sabo for NY Post Rizzo only received treatment Monday, but was hoping to ramp up more baseball activities to be in play for Wednesday. But the Yankees have Thursday off, so they could take the cautious route and hold him out until Friday.
“That’s something we’ll consider, but if he’s ready to go, that’s another thing,” manager Aaron Boone said. “With the off day, it is something we would consider.”
The Yankees moved on from Aaron Hicks, but he isn’t going far. The veteran outfielder signed a major league contract with the Orioles on Tuesday and could get a chance for more regular playing time in Baltimore with center fielder Cedric Mullins going on the injured list.
“Hopefully that’s a good thing for him,” Boone said. “A lot of time here and a lot of good things happened for him here, despite the last couple years [being] a struggle. Hopefully it’s a good opportunity for him and certainly wish him well — not too well, being in our division and a team we’re chasing.”
The Yankees, who designated Hicks for assignment on May 20, still owe him nearly $30 million. They will save about $480,000, which is the prorated major league minimum it cost the Orioles to sign Hicks. The Yankees and Orioles will next play July 3-6 in The Bronx.
Jose Trevino was activated and went 0-for-4 with a walk after a short IL stint for a hamstring strain.
Catcher Ben Rortvedt was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
