CHICAGO — New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced that third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. is likely to join the injured list with a left ulnar collateral ligament injury. Chisholm left Monday night’s game after injuring his elbow while sliding into home plate to score a run in the Yankees’ 12-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
The team has not ruled out surgery for Chisholm, but the full extent of his injury won’t be known for at least another 24 hours as team doctors need to fully review the results of an MRI. Chisholm told reporters after Monday’s game that he’s “not too concerned” about his injury, but he’s experiencing some pain in his elbow.
“I think he’s frustrated because he wanted to be in the starting lineup,” Boone said. “He woke up feeling like he was playing. We’ll see what happens. Hopefully it won’t be too long.”
Chisholm has been one of the team’s best players since the Yankees acquired him from the Miami Marlins at the trade deadline. In 61 plate appearances, Chisholm posted a 1.062 OPS with seven home runs and five stolen bases while learning third base on the fly.
“He’s been really impactful for us and hopefully this will be a shorter period and we can get him back and get him back to his best, but it’s definitely tough not having him there with what he means to our team already,” Boone said. “We’ll do everything we can to support him and help him recover and hopefully get him back playing.”
With Chisolm likely out for an extended period, the Yankees plan to use Oswaldo Cabrera and DJ LeMahieu at third base. Cabrera started at third base in Tuesday’s game. Boone has recently used LeMahieu in a platoon at first base with Ben Rice when lefty pitchers are on the mound, but the manager said he’ll likely mix and match at third base for now depending on the opposing pitching matchup.
Boone also added that if Chisholm is confirmed to be on the injured list, the Yankees would likely call up a third-string player to add him to the lineup. There are several candidates that would make sense for the Yankees: Jahmai Jones, Oswald Peraza and Caleb Durbin.
Jones is a club favorite and has played in parts of 33 games for the Yankees. He could be a logical option against a left-handed pitcher, posting a .925 OPS in 23 at-bats. This would be a low-ceiling move for the Yankees as he is by no means a game-changing player and is limited in what he can bring to the team. Since the Yankees designated him for assignment and he was cleared for waivers, the team would have to add him back to the 40-man roster.
Peraza has been one of the hottest hitters in the third base over the past few weeks. Over his last 20 games, Peraza has posted a 175 wRC+ while posting a double-digit walk rate. Third base isn’t his primary position, but Peraza is one of the most reliable center fielders in the organization. He’s already on the 40-man roster.
Durbin would be an outside-the-box move for the Yankees. Durbin entered Tuesday’s game in the third division with a .136 strikeout average and a strikeout rate of less than 10 percent. Durbin has several high-profile supporters within the organization and could be a candidate to start at second or third base next season. Like Jones, he’s not on the 40-man roster, so the Yankees would have to add him.
The Los Angeles Dodgers designated Amed Rosario for assignment to make room for Mookie Betts on Monday. The Yankees were interested in Rosario this offseason as a backup option, but he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays to get more playing time. Even if Chisholm doesn’t miss much, having a right-handed bat off the bench who can play multiple positions and hit lefties well would make sense for the Yankees. However, it’s possible Rosario doesn’t make the cut and is traded to a team with a worse record.
Boone added that John Bertie (calf) could start his rehab next week, but he will not be available for several more weeks due to the length of time he has been out.
The best-case scenario for Chisholm is that the injury is minor and he misses two weeks and then returns in time for the playoffs. The worst-case scenario is that Chisholm will need Tommy John surgery and miss the rest of the season. If that happens, he’ll likely be ready for Opening Day next year.
(Jazz Chisholm Jr. photo: Vincent Carchetta/USA Today)
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