CHICAGO — The New York Yankees, who can’t afford another injury, may have dodged another serious blow.
Second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. was pulled from the 11th inning of a 1-1 game against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday afternoon. The White Sox went on to win 2-1 on a walk-off walk in the 11th, beating the Yankees in extra innings for the second day in a row.
After the game, Chisholm said he was dealing with a cramp in his right hamstring and that he felt much better after getting treatment. He said he felt it in the eighth inning while fielding.
“It started to feel better as the game went on,” he said, “but they just wanted to play it safe to avoid injury.”
Chisholm said he expects to play when the Yankees visit the Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon.
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Chisholm appeared to hurt his right hamstring while running to first base on a groundout in the ninth inning, limping on his way back to the dugout. He remained in the game but appeared injured, often wincing while stretching his hamstring and grabbing it. He jogged and walked gingerly around the field and off it.
The Yankees removed Chisholm after Chicago intentionally walked him with a runner on third base and two outs. José Caballero replaced him.
“The trainers don’t think it’s much,” manager Aaron Boone said of the issue with Chisholm’s hamstring.
The Yankees are already dealing with several major injuries and have serious weaknesses to address with the trade deadline looming Monday.
Cody Bellinger might not return until September after he strained his left hamstring over the weekend in Philadelphia. The Yankees have long been without Aaron Judge (right first-rib stress fracture) and Giancarlo Stanton (right calf strain), and they haven’t provided a timetable for either player’s return.
Chisholm, who went 1-for-3 in the game, is in the midst of a down season. In 102 games, he’s hit just .224 with 16 home runs, 45 RBIs, 30 steals and a .708 OPS. Last season, he hit 31 homers with 31 steals and posted a .813 OPS. He will be a free agent after this season.
The Yankees have been in the market for a bat, and Chisholm’s underperformance has been a big reason the team’s offense has struggled mightily since June 1 without Judge in the lineup.