The New York Yankees broke out, at least for a day, of a prolonged offensive slump on Sunday, putting up 12 runs in a lopsided victory over the team formerly known as the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium. The run total was the Yankees’ highest since June 10 when they scored 10 times in a win over the Kansas City Royals.
But they may have lost one of their few hot hitters throughout the team-wide slump. During an at-bat in the sixth inning, 27-year-old infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. attempted to hold up on a 98-mph fastball from Athletics righty Elvis Alvarado. But he checked his swing so violently that he instantly pulled his right hand off the bat, in obvious pain.
Chisholm stayed in the game, however. But according to Alexander Wilson of Empire Sports Media, “it was obvious he was favoring the wrist, a concerning sign for the Yankees. Manager Aaron Boone and the medical staff will almost certainly monitor him closely over the next 24 hours, likely sending him for precautionary imaging.”
Chisholm Has Led Way For Yankees During Difficult Stretch
In a 20-game stretch that saw the Yankees go 8-12, scoring only 75 runs â 3.75 per game, compared to 5.4 in all other games â Chisholm has been one of the few causes for hope at the plate.
In his most recent 22 games, including 21 starts, the Bahamian native hit .309, compiling 25 hits including five home runs in 81 at-bats. Chisholm posted a .910 OPS over that span.
That’s a higher OPS over the same time period than the Yankees’ American League MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge, who comes in at .902. By all indications, without Chisholm, the Yankees’ current June swoon could have been a lot worse.
The 2022 National League All-Star acquired at last year’s trade deadline from the Miami Marlins was also the main catalyst of New York’s 12-run outburst on Sunday. He went 2-4 with a home run and a walk, driving in four runs and scoring a pair.
“For a team already reeling from inconsistent run production, losing Chisholm for any stretch could be catastrophic,” Wilson wrote. “The Yankeesâ offense feels like a fragile machine right now, held together by duct tape and sheer will.”
No New Updates on Chisholm’s Wrist
But even an hour after the game ended, there were no further updates on whether or not Chisholm’s wrist injury would be an ongoing concern. After his painful check swing, which resulted in a strikeout, Chisholm dashed straight to the Yankees clubhouse, presumably for some kind of treatment.
But he was back at third base in the top of the seventh.
“For those of you who remember how Andrew Benintendi’s season â and Yankees career â ended in late 2022, this was certainly reminiscent of his hooked hamate bone coming loose and derailing his time in pinstripes,” observed Yanks Go Yard writer Adam Weinrib.
Chisholm just returned from the injured list on June 3, after sitting out since April 29 â missing the entire month of May â with a right oblique muscle strain.
Then, eight days after his return, Chisholm was pulled from two games on consecutive nights with “neck tightness” in one game, and “left groin tightness” 24 hours later.
Chisholm is playing on a one-year contract for $5.85 million, but he remains under team control for one more season before becoming eligible for free agency.
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