By: Coco Xu

On August 12, 2024, the New York Yankees’ third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. left the playing field due to receiving a left ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injury after running into home plate. The Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone announced that Chisholm will likely be put on the injured list.

The severity of the injury is still unknown as doctors are still reviewing his MRI results. The prospect of surgery has not been ruled out. UCL injuries are typically caused by overuse of the elbow and range from light inflammation to complete tears. In the best-case scenario, Chisholm’s injury is minor enough such that he can continue playing by the time playoffs begin. In the worst-case scenario, he will need surgery and will miss the rest of the season.

Chisholm is one of the Yankees’ most valuable players. He was born on February 1, 1998, in Nassau, Bahamas, and debuted in MLB on September 1, 2020. Out of his 61 plate appearances, seven are home runs. He has five stolen bases and a 1.062 OPS. “He’s been really impactful for us and hopefully this is something that’s a shorter period and we’ll get him back and rolling but it’s certainly tough to not have him in there with what he’s meant to our team already,” Mr. Boone said, according to The New York Times.

The Yankees plan on temporarily replacing Chisholm with Oswaldo Cabrera and DJ LeMahieu at third base, seeing as he likely will no be returning for a long time. If Chisholm is added to the IL, the Yankees will also consider seeking someone from Triple A, such as Jahmai Jones, Oswald Peraza and Caleb Durbin. How long will Chisholm remain off the field? How will his team fare without him? Only time will tell.