After seeking multiple opinions following his elbow injury earlier this week, Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. was recommended rest and rehab for his UCL sprain, and the hope is that he’ll return this season, Jon Heyman of The New York Post reports.
And the recently-acquired Chisholm spoke to the media before Friday’s series opener against the Tigers in Detroit and voiced optimism about his return.
Chisholm said in his mind it’s “100 percent realistic” that he can return when his 10 days on the IL are up. The 26-year-old was throwing on the field in Detroit and added that he’ll probably start swinging a bat again in the next day or two, and that he hasn’t felt pain in his elbow since he injured it.
That’s good news for the Yanks since surgery at this point would’ve meant Chisholm being out until next year, putting an end to his stellar campaign for the Bronx Bombers.
Chisholm injured his left elbow diving into home plate on Monday against the Chicago White Sox and exited the game. He underwent an MRI on Tuesday before getting the results the following day, which is when the Yankees placed him on the 10-day IL, retroactive to Aug. 13.
As of right now, Chisholm is shut down from baseball activities, and manager Aaron Boone is unsure when he will be able to pick it back up again.
Regardless, the news that Chisholm has avoided surgery for now is certainly a sigh of relief for New York.
In just 14 games with the Yanks since being traded from the Miami Marlins, Chisholm is hitting .316 with seven home runs and a 1.063 OPS, which added a jolt to New York’s offense.
The 26-year-old has also spent the majority of his time in the Bronx at third base for the first time in his career and has handled it with aplomb, giving the Yanks some much-needed production out of that key position.
