Jazz Chisholm Jr. injury update is nerve-wrecking news for the Yankees

Trading for Jazz Chisholm at the deadline gave the New York Yankees an injection of energy. His injury just gave them an injection of anxiety.

Chishom hurt his elbow sliding into home play on Monday night. After undergoing imaging on Tuesday, the infielder is likely heading for a stint on the Injured List with a UCL injury. Aaron Boone couldn't speak to the severity of that injury as of Tuesday.

The lack of clarity on the elbow injury simply makes this all the more nerve-wracking. The best-case scenario is Chisholm is out a week or so, returning without too much of a fuss. The worst-case scenario is he needs Tommy John surgery, ending his season.

That's a massive spectrum of possibilities to account for, from inconvenient to disastrous.

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Losing Jazz Chisholm could send Yankees into a tailspin

Since joining the Yankees, Chisholm is batting .316/361/.702 with a career-high OPS+ of 189. He's hit seven home runs, giving him a career-high season total of 20.

As much handwringing as there was about how Chisholm would fit in the Yankees clubhouse, he's looked like a natural in pinstripes. The bright lights of New York make some players shrivel up. Chisholm seemed to grow under them.

The Yankees are half a game away from the best record in baseball. Yet somehow, they feel like cursed underachievers. Chisholm's injury could swing momentum in the absolute wrong direction for Boone's squad.

They already suffered an inexplicable rout at the hands of the Chicago White Sox on Monday. The "here we go again" vibes in the Bronx are strong.

We don't want to get ahead of ourselves. This may all be an overreaction to what turns out to be a minor injury. Still, this could be a pivotal moment for the Yankees' season.

With Chisholm out, New York is turning to Oswaldo Cabrera to fill the gap at third base. Boone also mentioned DJ LeMahieu as an option, per Max Goodman of NJ.com. Put mildly, those are less-than-exciting band-aids.