Jazz Chisholm Jr. injury scare gives Yankees fans another reason to hate Astros

What looked to be a promising road series in Houston on Tuesday night has turned into nothing but a nightmare for the New York Yankees. After Wednesday night's collapse and umpire drama, Jazz Chisholm Jr. left Thursday night's game with an injury.

In the bottom of the third inning, Austin Wells caught Jose Altuve stealing and it appeared as if Chisholm injured his knee on Altuve's slide attempt. There was no malice, there was no major collision, there was no immediate moment of "oh no!". It looked relatively minor.

In fact, Chisholm made it into the batter's box in the top half of the inning, so it seemed as if there wasn't much to worry about.

That is, until he struck out on three pitches, walked gingerly back to the dugout, and abruptly removed himself from the game with a hand gesture to manager Aaron Boone. Jose Caballero has taken over at second base.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. Injury Update: Knee issue forces Yankees star out of Thursday's game

Simply put, the Yankees cannot afford any injuries to their top players right now. Chisholm has been a revelation on both sides of the ball and has proven to be impactful beyond just his play — he's one of the more confident, outspoken players who helps motivate the rest of the team.

He already missed five weeks this year and is still the league's best second baseman thanks to his 4.1 bWAR. He has 28 home runs, 76 RBI and 26 stolen bases in just 107 games and was one of the reasons the Yankees didn't sink further into their summer slump. Though Caballero is a respectable replacement, he was supposed to spell Anthony Volpe at shortstop, not replace Chisholm at any point.

The Yankees announced Chisholm left the game with contusions in both knees, so at least it's nothing overly concerning? But also when did the second happen? And why is this happening right before a pivotal series against the Blue Jays?

Stay tuned for more updates, but, man, get us out of Houston. Hate this place. Hate this opponent. It's just always the worst.