Jazz Chisholm Jr. just got slammed onto the 10-day injured list Wednesday, taking a sprained right thumb out of the lineup for the Yankees when he was absolutely tearing it up. This isn’t just a minor bump in the road; New York is down one of its hottest bats with only 18 games left in the season, and the team is leading the AL wild-card race.
The Brutal Blow That Stalls a Sizzling Stretch
Manager Aaron Boone broke the news, confirming Chisholm’s thumb would require an IL stint and a full shutdown from baseball activities for seven to 10 days. The injury went down on Tuesday in the eighth inning of a 5-3 win. Chisholm tried to stretch a single into something more, sliding into second base, but his thumb took a nasty hit from Colorado shortstop Ezequiel Tovar’s cleat. He even tried to tough it out for the ninth inning, but a clear struggle on a grounder, resulting in a poor throw, forced him out.
Talk about terrible timing. Chisholm was on fire, hitting an incredible .391, with two homers and six RBIs over his last 15 games, including two hits on Tuesday. Boone himself said, “I feel like he has been really putting together some of his best at-bats of the season for an extended stretch. So definitely a blow, but hopefully one that the time down here hopefully gets this thing right and puts us in position to impact us moving forward.” This season, Chisholm is hitting .232 with 19 homers and 55 RBIs in 134 games. Oh, and he also swiped 40 bases in 49 attempts, making him the first Yankee to hit 40 steals since Brett Gardner snagged 49 back in 2011. This injury just hurts, especially when you consider he is the fourth Yankee on the IL since August 23, and the 18th player to hit the list for the club this season. Remember, Aaron Judge just got back Tuesday after missing 84 games with a broken rib.
Who Steps Up: The Call For Volpe?
With Chisholm sidelined, Jose Caballero stepped in at second base on Wednesday. But everyone’s eyes are probably already on Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where Anthony Volpe has been absolutely mashing. Volpe, who’s seen 19 games at second base, was even named International League Player of the Week after hitting an insane .524 with three homers and six RBIs in his last six games. What’s even more interesting? He was scratched from the Triple-A lineup Wednesday.
Since getting sent down on August 4, Volpe’s been a monster, batting .295 with 10 homers and 21 RBIs in 27 games, playing both shortstop and third base. This is a far cry from his .240 average, one homer, and 19 RBIs in 56 games before rookie George Lombard Jr. replaced him at shortstop. Boone said Volpe is “in a really good spot,” “productive down there and playing really well,” and has “taken well to the other positions.” So, will we see Volpe back in the bigs to fill Chisholm’s shoes? The Yankees have just 18 games left, and every single one of them matters. This sprained thumb means New York has to figure out its next move, and fast.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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