CHICAGO — New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced that third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. is likely headed for the injured list because of a left ulnar collateral ligament injury. Chisholm left Monday night’s game after hurting his elbow while sliding into home plate as he scored a run in the Yankees’ 12-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
The team has not ruled out surgery for Chisholm, but the extent of his injury won’t be fully known for at least another 24 hours, as the team’s doctors need to examine his MRI results fully. Chisholm told reporters after Monday’s game that he wasn’t “super” concerned about his injury, but that he did have some soreness in his elbow.
“I think he’s bummed out because he wanted to be in the lineup,” Boone said. “He woke up feeling like, ‘I’m playing.’ We’ll see what we have. Hopefully, it’s not something that’s too long.”
Chisholm has been one of the team’s best performers 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 is something that’s a shorter period and we’ll get him back and rolling but it’s certainly tough to not have him in there with what he’s meant to our team already,” Boone said. “We’ll just do our best to support him and get him right and hopefully get him back out there.”
With Chisholm likely missing an extended amount of time, the Yankees plan on using Oswaldo Cabrera and DJ LeMahieu at third base. Cabrera started at third in Tuesday’s game. Boone has lately used LeMahieu in a platoon at first base with Ben Rice when left-handed pitchers are on the mound, but the manager said he’ll likely mix and match at third base for the time being depending on the opposing pitching matchup.
Boone also added that if it is confirmed that Chisholm will go on the IL, the Yankees will probably call up a player from Triple A to add to the mix. There are a several candidates who would make sense for the Yankees: Jahmai Jones, Oswald Peraza and Caleb Durbin.
Jones is a clubhouse favorite and has played parts of 33 games for the Yankees. He could make sense as an option against left-handed pitching, as he’s posted a .925 OPS in 23 at-bats. It would be a low-ceiling kind of move for the Yankees because he’s by no means a game-changer and is limited in what he can offer the team. Because the Yankees designated him for assignment and he cleared waivers, the team would have to add him back to the 40-man roster.
Peraza has been one of the hottest hitters in Triple A 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 organization’s surest-handed infielders. He is on the 40-man roster already.
Durbin would be an outside-the-box move for the Yankees to make. Durbin entered Tuesday night’s Triple A game with a wRC+ of 136 and a strikeout rate below 10 percent. Durbin has many high-ranking supporters inside the organization and could be in the mix to start at either second base 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 also designated Amed Rosario for assignment to make space for Mookie Betts on Monday. The Yankees were interested in Rosario this offseason as a utility option, but he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays for more playing time. Even if Chisholm won’t miss much time, having a right-handed bat off the bench who could play multiple positions and hit left-handed pitching well would make sense for the Yankees. It’s possible, though, that Rosario doesn’t clear waivers and goes to a team with a worse record.
Boone added that Jon Berti (calf) may start a rehab assignment next week, but he won’t be available for a few more weeks because of how much time he’s missed.
The best-case scenario for Chisholm is it’s a minor injury where he’ll miss a couple of weeks and be back in time for the playoffs. In the worst-case scenario, Chisholm needs Tommy John surgery and will miss the rest of the season. If that happens, he would likely be ready for Opening Day next year.
(Photo of Jazz Chisholm Jr.: Vincent Carchietta / USA Today)
