With the Yankees having lost six straight and 16 of their last 22 games, one of their hottest hitters, Jazz Chisholm Jr., found himself out of the lineup for Sunday’s Subway Series finale.
Aaron Boone said he’s been looking to get Chisholm an off day all week, as he’s been a “little beat up” and dealing with “shoulder stuff.”
“Overall, he’s doing pretty well,” the manager added.
Chisholm initially said that his shoulder, an issue for about three weeks, has been “a little sore.” But he later said it’s been “super sore.” Still, he felt he could play on Sunday and was prepared to come off the bench.
“There’s nothing too crazy,” Chisholm said. “I’ve been playing with it no worries, no complaints. So I won’t complain now.”
Chisholm added that he first felt the soreness after backhanding a ball and firing to first as hard as he could.
Chisholm started the season as the Yankees’ second baseman, but he’s been playing third base since coming off the injured list — he had an oblique strain — on June 3. The hot corner requires longer throws, but Chisholm wouldn’t blame playing third for his aching shoulder.
“I don’t make excuses, my guy,” he said. “I just go out there and play the game that I’m blessed to play.”
Chisholm’s return to third — he learned the position on the fly last summer after being acquired from the Marlins — coincided with DJ LeMahieu’s return from a calf strain. LeMahieu has played third as well, but he is more comfortable at second at this stage of his career.
With Chisholm at third and LeMahieu at second, however, the Yankees have two negatives in their infield when they could have just one, as Chisholm grades out well at second base. At third, he entered Sunday with -3 Outs Above Average and six errors. All were of the throwing variety, with three coming in his last four games.
Chisholm did say that his shoulder has bothered him more when throwing than hitting, but he once again declined to make excuses when asked if his soreness has led to his poor throws.
“I’ll never use anything as an excuse, ever,” Chisholm said. “So I would never say it contributes to that. Yeah, my arm was sore. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t make a play.”
Chisholm has been getting treatment every day, and he said wearing KT tape has helped “a little bit.”
At the plate, he’s seemed fine. Entering Sunday, Chisholm had a .308 average, .969 OPS, eight home runs and 21 RBI since coming off the IL.
“I can’t complain when I’ve been hitting great and not playing great defense,” Chisholm said, “so I can’t blame my arm.”
SCHLITTLER SOON?
With Clarke Schmidt expected to undergo Tommy John surgery, Aaron Boone and Matt Blake said that a final decision has not been made on pitching prospect Cam Schlittler making his major league debut this coming week.
“But he’s certainly in that consideration,” Boone added.
If the club does promote Schlittler, it would be for Tuesday or Wednesday’s home game against the Mariners. The righty, MLB.com’s 10th-best Yankees prospect, impressed the organization during his first big league camp in the spring. A 2.38 ERA and 64 strikeouts over 53 innings at Double-A recently earned him a promotion to Triple-A.
Schlittler has a 3.80 ERA and 35 strikeouts over 23.2 innings at Triple-A so far. While he struggled in his last start, surrendering six earned runs over 2.1 innings, the Yankees are high on the 24-year-old.
“We really liked his competitive nature,” Blake said. “We got to see quite a few outings in spring training going against some A lineups, somewhat by design and somewhat by just circumstances. So it kind of worked out that he had four or five starts against some regular lineups. And then I think the big thing is he’s got a quality fastball he can lean on as an anchor to his arsenal. And then he’s got a couple different breaking balls that he mixes in to lefties and righties. So he can attack two different sides of the plate.”
The Yankees have experienced options in Carlos Carrasco and Allan Winans at Triple-A, but they have pitched poorly in the majors this year. They also have below-average stuff.
CANDELARIO AND OTHER MINOR MOVES
With third base an area of concern — Chisholm would go back to second with LeMahieu moving to a bench role in a perfect world — the Yankees signed Jeimer Candelario to a minor league deal on Saturday. He was assigned to Triple-A.
The Reds recently released Candelario, even though they owe him approximately $22.5 million, after he returned from a spine injury and posted a .113 average and .410 OPS over 22 games. The 31-year-old New York native has hit .207 with a .660 OPS since 2024 began, but he hit .251 with an .807 OPS, 39 doubles, 22 homers and 70 RBI in 2023.
“Obviously, a guy with a really good track record,” Boone said of Candelario, who has a slightly above-average .726 OPS for his career. “Has struggled a little bit with some injuries this year, up and down a little bit last year season-wise. But a guy that’s always been a pretty good hitter in this league, pretty good player in this league, and not at an age where he’s old by any means. So an opportunity to just add some depth and see what we have down there.”
Candelario, who has also played first, is not a strong defender at third. While he has one OAA over a small sample this season, he had -6 OAA at the hot corner in 2024.
Candelario is one of several minor league signings the Yankees have made this past week. They also added veteran infielder Nicky Lopez, a light hitter who can play all over, and Joel Kuhnel, a reliever who hasn’t had much big league success but has a knack for inducing groundballs.
The Yankees also traded Tripe-A catcher Alex Jackson to the Orioles on Sunday for international signing bonus pool money and a player to be named later or cash considerations.