Since making his debut in 2020, Jazz Chisholm Jr. hasn’t quite lived up to his spectacular potential. But when it comes to the short right-field porch in the Bronx, he is nothing less than a marksman. This is the main reason why the New York Yankees wanted him: Chisholm’s skillset that combines power, speed and plus defense is exactly what the Yankees were searching for last year when they pried him away from the Miami Marlins.
Since donning pinstripes, Chisholm has lived up to that billing, tallying 18 home runs in 281 at-bats. This season, no other skill of his has shined brighter: Thus far, he owns a .181/.304/.410/.714 slash line with seven home runs and six stolen bases in seven attempts. His 39 strikeouts stand as the most in the AL entering Wednesday, thanks in large part to an ugly slump toward the end of April. Unfortunately, catastrophe struck before he could get things back on track.
On Tuesday night against the Baltimore Orioles, Chisholm felt pain in his left side after taking a swing. A subsequent inside pitch from Kyle Gibson forced Chisholm back a step. Chisholm then grasped his side, did some stretching and took a few warm-up swings; discomfort was visible in his face. This prompted a visit from manager Aaron Boone along with a trainer.
Chisholm stayed in the game long enough to hit a double down the line, making it to third on an error. A few seconds later, he was pulled from the game. Initially described as “flank discomfort,” the diagnosis is now an oblique injury. He will have an MRI on Wednesday.
For an injury-prone team, this is nothing new. But since the Yankees lack a large reservoir of quality infield depth, it begs the question whether management saw any red flags when acquiring Chisholm.
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Jazz Chisholm Jr. has had a hard time staying healthy throughout his career
Since 2021, Chisholm has dealt with around 20 ailments. From then through 2024, he has missed a total of 220 games and has eclipsed 600 plate appearances in a single season only once, normally falling far short of that mark. For any team with decent and experienced infield depth, this is not a problem given what Chisholm is capable of when he is healthy. But for an injury-prone, depth-challenged Yankees team, it would have been a solid idea to add some insurance just in case.
With all the injuries that seem to sweep through the Yankees organization like a virus year after year, this is more of a math equation than just bad luck. Luckily, this probably means another call-up for intriguing prospect Jorbit Vivas. His last stint in the Majors ended about a week ago, but despite two promotions, Vivas is yet to make his debut. Now, he might finally get his well-deserved chance.
Still, for as exciting as Vivas might be, he's no Chisholm. Few second basemen are, which is why the team has valued him so highly. But that production continues to come at a price, as New York is learning the hard way now.