BALTIMORE – The official announcement over the public-address system in the Camden Yards press box prompted more than a few quizzical stares, sharing that Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. had exited Tuesday’s game with “right flank discomfort.”
The concern was, as manager Aaron Boone would later reveal, in the area of Chisholm’s right oblique. So who came up with that description, Chisholm was asked?
“Maybe me, I don’t know,” Chisholm said with a grin after the Yankees' 15-3 win over the Orioles. “I mean, it is in the flank – it really is in my flank. If you look at a cow, that’s their oblique, I guess. … I went and looked it up, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I can use that.’”
Well, OK, let’s roll with it – and perhaps it’s a good sign for Chisholm and the Yankees that he is handling it so lightheartedly.
Chisholm sustained the injury on a first-inning foul ball, grimacing and reaching for his left side after fouling off the first pitch of his at-bat against Kyle Gibson, which prompted a brief examination from Boone and assistant athletic trainer Alfonso Malaguti.
Though Chisholm remained in the game to stroke a double down the right-field line, advancing to third base on an error, he was swiftly replaced by pinch-runner Oswald Peraza. Luis Rojas, the Yankees’ third-base coach, signaled to Boone for the replacement.
Boone did not use the word “flank,” and he said he is concerned about an oblique injury, even though Chisholm told his manager he was “fine.”
“I don’t know about that,” Boone said. “We’ll see what we have.”
Chisholm is expected to undergo an MRI on Thursday in New York, Boone said.
“I’m really not as concerned as everybody else,” Chisholm said. “I feel pretty good. I’ve torn my oblique before, so I know it’s not like torn or anything. I can cough without any pain or anything like that. It’s just to be cautious and not try to overdo it.”
Chisholm’s exit came as the Yankees enjoyed their second four-homer first inning of the season, with Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge, Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger all going deep.
“Man, it was sick watching all of them go, especially Cody,” Chisholm said. “I know he’s been pretty unlucky so far this season.”
In his first full season as a Yankee after being acquired last July, Chisholm is batting .181 (19-for-105) with seven homers and 17 RBIs in 30 games.
If Chisholm were to miss time, it could mean more reps at second base for Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza or Pablo Reyes. Additionally, Jorbit Vivas has been hitting well for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Cabrera has been the Yankees’ de facto starting third baseman with DJ LeMahieu (left calf, right hip) working to return from a Minor League rehab assignment.
LeMahieu received a cortisone injection in his right hip on Tuesday, which Boone characterized as “preemptive,” as LeMahieu “felt something coming on” after missing time last year with a right hip impingement.
“My sense is, it was pretty minor,” Boone said of LeMahieu, who has played in four games for Double-A Somerset after missing nearly all of Spring Training.
“DJ has always been so tough. His way is to power through things and grind through things. I think it’s him saying this is something that has worked for him in the past when he’s had some issues. He just wants to make sure he gives himself the best runway to be successful.”