Yankees sweep Guardians as Jazz Chisholm Jr. emerges as savior with Aaron Judge out

There's no doubt Yankees slugger Jazz Chisholm Jr. put a target on his back heading into the 2026 season. First, he said he was looking for a $300+ million contract in free agency. Then he said he'd be the second player to ever go 50-50. The Yankees haters loved it, ate it up, and made it their entire identity to try and tear him down.

And then Guardians broadcaster Tom Hamilton tried to get in on the fun last week when he commented on Chisholm appearing on Jimmy Fallon despite a .239 batting average at the time. Guardians fans loudly chanted "overrated!" during Tuesday night's game.

Turns out, it's all coming back around. Chisholm hit the game-winning homer on Tuesday night while hearing those chants. He's surged offensively in big moments, especially ever since Hamilton's comment. And he could shape up to be the most key X-factor of all with Aaron Judge out for the foreseeable future.

Chisholm continued his streak on Wednesday in the Yankees' sweep of the Guardians. He went 1-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored and three RBI. His two-run triple in the second inning immediately responded to the Guardians scoring a run off Carlos Rodón in the first inning.

This is the energy we need. This is the player the Yankees acquired at the 2024 trade deadline. His start to 2026 was bad, but all he needs to do is normalize the numbers by doing his thing.

Heading into Wednesday, Chisholm was hitting .291 with a .917 OPS over his last 21 games. He continues to be a bit streaky, but that'll hardly matter if his moments of contribution translate to wins, which is exactly what's been happening. Yankees fans are all too familiar with the hollow 20-homer player profile that means nothing when the season ends. No more of that.

Chisholm might only have a .150 average over his last week of play, but his .850 OPS has been buoyed by three homers and six RBI. His .194 average with runners in scoring position absolutely needs to improve, but his .250 average and .754 OPS in high-leverage moments provide hope.

His defense continues to be impressive and a crucial heads-up play on Wednesday completely turned the tides. He directed Trent Grisham to slide toward the first base side when tagging up from third on a sac fly and it saved the Yankees.

The Yankees don't need everybody on the roster to be an All-Star while Judge is out. Everybody just needs to keep the line moving. And for someone like Jazz, he can't be trying to do too much. For his career, he's a slightly above-average hitter who brings athleticism and speed to further emphasize his impact.

If his current run extends into August and he can be one of the motors on offense, the Yankees will easily be able to withstand Judge's absence and be that much better off when he's ready to return. The immediate results have injected life into the Yankees. Now bring that to Toronto.

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