Jazz Chisholm Jr. is feeling good.
The Yankees infielder said Friday he considers it “100% realistic” that he can return from a left elbow sprain after the requisite 10 days on the injured list.
Chisholm threw on the field before the Yankees’ series opener in Detroit and told reporters he expects to resume swinging in a day or two. The injury is to the right-handed Chisholm’s non-throwing arm.
“Right now, my body’s reacting really well to all the treatment that we’re doing, and it feels pretty good,” Chisholm told the media at Comerica Park.
Chisholm suffered the injury on a run-scoring head-first slide during Monday’s road loss to the White Sox, then went on the IL on Wednesday.
“No pains anymore since the first day, so we’re doing pretty well,” Chisholm said.
Added last month in a pre-deadline trade with the Marlins, the 26-year-old Chisholm has been a revelation for the Yankees, hitting .316 with seven home runs and 11 RBI through 14 games.
Last weekend, he became the first player in Yankees history to hit seven home runs in his first 12 games with the team.
Chisholm debuted as a middle infielder and mostly played center field during the last two seasons with Miami, but the Yankees have primarily used him at third base, where he didn’t have any MLB experience before the trade.
An All-Star in 2022, the lefty-swinging Chisholm already boasts career highs with 20 home runs, 61 RBI and 27 stolen bases this season.
TREVINO RETURNS
Jose Trevino returned to the lineup Friday, a day after the Yankees activated the catcher following a month-long stint on the injured list.
But Trevino’s return comes in a new context.
The majority of the Yankees’ catching duties are expected to remain with Austin Wells, who began this weekend’s series against the Tigers with a .326 average, four home runs, 19 RBI and a .983 OPS in 24 games since July 13. That’s the day Trevino went on the IL with a left quad strain.
“They’ll both play, but Wells has earned probably more of the playing time [with] what he’s become in the middle of our lineup,” Boone told reporters Friday. “I don’t know if it will become a straight ‘vs. right, vs. left’ thing. It could line up with that, and obviously, typically, you see more right-handed pitchers, which would lend itself to Austin.”
The righty-hitting Trevino, a 2022 All-Star and the American League’s Platinum Glove winner, split time with the lefty-swinging Wells before being sidelined.
Now in his third season with the Yankees, the 31-year-old Trevino entered play Friday with a .244 average, eight home runs, 27 RBI and a .714 OPS through 59 games. His start Friday came with Gerrit Cole on the mound, continuing a regular partnership between the batterymates.
“Excited to get Trevi back,” Boone said. “He means so much to this team, so he’ll play, but Austin certainly earned more of a significant role.”
Lauded for his offense in the minors, the 25-year-old Wells has settled in as the Yankees’ cleanup batter against right-handed pitchers and as their No. 5 hitter against lefties.
Wells has also impressed defensively. He and Trevino both rank within the 91st percentile in fielding run value, a Statcast metric that demonstrates a player’s defensive performance. Entering Friday, Wells owned a 26.4% caught-stealing rate, compared to 22.0% for Trevino.
MAYZA MOVE
The Yankees called up left-handed reliever Tim Mayza before Friday’s series opener in Detroit. Mayza signed with the Yankees last month after the Blue Jays designated him for assignment.
His final appearance with Toronto came on June 28 against the Yankees, who scored five runs against him without recording an out. That rough outing ballooned Mayza’s season ERA to 8.03 in 24.2 innings — up dramatically from his 1.52 ERA in 53.1 innings last year.
Mayza pitched to a 2.16 ERA over 8.1 innings with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Yankees called him up over right-handed options including Scott Effross and Nick Burdi, giving them a second lefty in the bullpen alongside Tim Hill.
The velocity of Mayza’s sinker — his primary pitch — was 91.9 mph with Toronto this season, down from 93.4 mph last year.
“The videos I’ve been watching of him over the last couple of weeks, [he’s got] life back on the fastball,” Boone said. “He’s got his velocity back. He’s done some really good work here.”
Mayza famously surrendered Aaron Judge’s 61st home run of 2022, which tied Roger Maris’ American League single-season record. Judge finished with 62 homers that year to set a new AL record.
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