Chisholm certain ‘I can be back’ after minimum stay on IL
Dawn Klemish
DETROIT — No one is more optimistic than Jazz Chisholm Jr. these days, and really, maybe no one has more reason to be. The uncertainty surrounding his sprained left elbow — and the possibility that he might require surgery to repair it — has shifted remarkably in the past 48 hours.
Just how much?
“It’s 100% realistic in my mind that at the end of the 10 days [on the injured list], I can be back,” Chisholm said Friday prior to the Yankees’ series opener against the Tigers at Comerica Park.
Manager Aaron Boone wasn’t quite that ready to set things in stone, but he echoed Chisholm’s optimism nonetheless, offering that “I would say the early signs here in the first couple days have at least been encouraging.”
After a pre-Deadline trade with the Marlins took him from the bottom of one division to the top of another, the former top prospect has provided the Yankees an immediate return on their investment, slashing .316/.361/.702 with 11 RBIs in 14 games in pinstripes. He was also the first Yankee to hit seven homers in his first 12 games with the club.
Monday’s injury, sustained when Chisholm slid into home plate to score from second base during a 12-2 loss to the White Sox, was a difficult pill to swallow. But X-rays came back negative, and when an MRI revealed a sprain but not a tear, Chisholm was right back to champing at the bit for a return.
“It’s not his throwing arm, and it’s his top hand on the swing, which is better,” Boone said. “Hopefully, when he starts ramping up, everything goes well, and he’s good, and we avoid [surgery]. But you’ve got to get there to find out.”
If Chisholm had his way, he’d already be swinging a bat again. As it is, he predicted that he would progress to swinging “in the next day or two.”
“My understanding is that we’re going to go on how I feel, how my body feels, and right now, my body’s reacting really well to all the treatment that we’re doing,” Chisholm said. “… I’m fortunate that it’s not a major injury and it’s as slight as it is right now.”
It’s understandable that the Yankees’ third baseman desperately wants to continue to show what he can do, but he also understands that he’s too valuable to lose long-term at such a crucial point in the season.
Chisholm also received some sage advice from teammates who are well-versed in the stretch run and beyond.
“The first day [of the injury] was really tough,” Chisholm admitted. “Until [Aaron] Judge and [Juan] Soto and the guys came over to me and said, ‘Hey, we’d rather you, instead of come back and playing today, take 10 days. Make sure you’re right, and come back and help us get to October, and win in October.’”
