New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. was forced to leave a game against the Baltimore Orioles on April 29, after doubling in the first inning. At first the problem did not seem serious. Chisholm told reporters he felt "fine," and the Yankees announced the injury as "right flank discomfort."
The team, and Chisholm himself, later clarified the injury was to his oblique muscle. He suffered the strain on the swing prior to hitting the double in that game, which was won by New York 15-3.
But the 27-year-old, acquired at the trade deadline last year from the Miami Marlins, continued to believe the injury was nothing worse than a day-to-day situation.
Last Friday, Chisholm - playing on a one-year, $5.85 million contract and arbitration-eligible next year - was placed on the 10-day disabled list. Now, according to a report Friday posted on the Yankees blog Pinstripes Nation, the 2022 All-Star's injury is even worse than previously believed.
"Sidelined with one of baseball's most notoriously stubborn injuries, Chisholm's recovery is expected to take at least four to six weeks, and some insiders believe that's a best-case scenario," wrote Pinstripes Nation scribe Esteban Quiñones. "It may be longer as his injury is more severe."
Appearing on the New York Post podcast "The Injury Report", NYU Langone Hospital orthopedic surgeon Dr. Elise C. Bixby said the nature of Chisholm's injuries - three separate tears to his oblique muscle - makes the healing process more difficult than most muscle strains.
"We typically see one localized tear in the internal oblique. Jazz has three different areas affected, which puts him on the high end of the injury spectrum," Bixby said on the podcast. "If a player tries to push through this kind of injury, the microtears can propagate. The muscle won't heal properly, and the player's performance will suffer."
Bixby added, however, that Chisholm's injury does not require surgery.
What now for the Yankees? The Yankees piled up injuries in spring training while failing to acquire any new infielders even after the loss to free agency of seven-season second baseman Gleyber Torres. At this point, the Bronx Bombers appear to have no plans for how to compensate for Chisholm's prolonged absence.
"This is what happens when the Yankees front office operates like they're managing a beer league softball team," wrote Bleeding Yankee Blue chief writer Robert Casey on Friday. "No plan B. No foresight. Just vibes and trust in Aaron Boone, whose managerial strategy seems to boil down to: 'Let's see what happens.' "
In some potential good news for the Yankees, they are expected to return several players from the injured list in May or early June. Third baseman D.J. LeMahieu may be back in the lineup as early as this coming weekend. Righty pitcher Jonathan Loáisiga could make his return from elbow surgery sometime soon after May 18.
Even slugging designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, who at one point appeared at risk of missing the season with tendinitis in both elbows, is now hoped to make his season debut within a month.
