Jazz Chisholm Jr. injury purgatory should have Yankees pondering Anthony Volpe decision

On a night when Aaron Judge returned after 99 days on the injured list and the Yankees defeated the Rockies to create more distance from the Red Sox in the AL Wild Card picture, they also had to deal with the potential repercussions of an untimely injury to Jazz Chisholm Jr.

In the bottom of the eighth inning with the Yankees up 5-1, Chisholm ripped a liner into the right field corner and bolted out of the box, thinking two the entire way. Unfortunately, he was "thrown out" — the classic replay review that simply backs the umpire's call on the field because, well, that's all replay is good for now.

On the slide into second base, Chisholm jammed his thumb into the bag. He then left the game in the top of the ninth (why was he even out there in the first place?) after he was clearly still bothered by the issue.

Yankees awaiting results on Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s thumb injury after win over Rockies

In the postgame, Aaron Boone said Chisholm was dealing with numbness and that they would check and see how he was doing in the morning. The manager didn't rule out further testing if the symptoms worsened.

Whatever the result, Chisholm Jr. will likely be hampered for a few days, which may halt his progress. Over his last month (24 games), the slugger is hitting .311/.388/.446 with two homers, eight RBI and nine stolen bases. It's the best he's looked all season at the plate. He was heating up at the perfect time as the Yankees entered the stretch run for the division race and looked ahead to the postseason.

What will the Yankees do if Chisholm Jr. hits the IL? That brings us to our next point. They might as well see what Anthony Volpe's got at second base. They will need the infield help, even if they have Jose Caballero's versatility. With Aaron Judge back in the fold, it definitely makes it a reasonable gamble.

In his 29 games since getting sent back down to Triple-A, Volpe is hitting .284/.381/.642 (that's a 1.023 OPS!) with 10 homers and 21 RBI. He's made just one error across 162 1/3 innings at second base too. It's a big ole "why not?".

Bringing up Volpe for roster support if Chisholm were to miss time hardly interrupts anything. Caballero is a bench player, and he'll remain there. George Lombard Jr. is the shortstop, he'll remain there. Volpe can perhaps settle into a bench role himself and be a viable roster piece for 2027 or improve his trade value heading into an uncertain offseason.

What other options do they have? Max Schuemann is another solution, but the Yankees already know what they have in him. He's certainly not a bad option, but he's been toiling away at Triple-A to the tune of a .273 average and .795 OPS. Solid, but unspectacular.

The more fun story would be Volpe's redemption arc, going from unnecessary (but at times necessary) scapegoat to contributing bench player on a team with championship aspirations.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow