Jazz Chisholm Jr. (leg) returns to lineup

Chisholm padded the Yankees’ lead early with a solo homer off Grayson Rodriguez, going back-to-back with Spencer Jones. He later led off the fourth with a base hit before adding a single and a run scored in the eighth. The 28-year-old second baseman is slashing .232/.331/.408 with 19 homers, 67 runs scored, 55 RBI, and 40 steals across 505 plate appearances.

The two thefts give Chisholm 40 on the season, tying a career high with a month left to play. It has certainly been impactful for fantasy leagues, but it has come with a .227 batting average and without outstanding run scored and RBI totals. Prior to the season, Chisholm talked about going 50/50 in his free-agent walk year, and he has a good chance of getting there with the steals. He’s been limited to 18 homers, however, after finishing with 31 last year.

No surprises here with rookie lefty Jake Bennett toeing the rubber for the opening contest of Saturday’s twin bill at Yankee Stadium. It’ll be Paul Goldschmidt and Amed Rosario getting a look at first and second base, respectively, with Heliot Ramos getting into the lineup in right field.

Chisholm now has 18 homers to go along with 34 stolen bases this season. It’s helpful in fantasy, especially because his dual eligibility includes second base, one of the tougher positions to fill. However, his .220 batting average has actively hurt roto managers, and the remaining counting stats aren’t anything to get too excited about. Chisholm profiles as a potential 30/30 threat heading into 2027, but his long-term fantasy value is tied heavily to stolen bases, barring a big bounce-back season at the plate.

Chisholm has been scuffling in recent weeks, hitting .188 (18-for-96) with four homers and seven steals in 28 games since last month’s All-Star break. He’s been ice-cold recently, batting only .148 (8-for-54) with two extra-base hits in 17 games since the beginning of August. He’ll continue to be penciled into the lower third of New York’s lineup card, especially with Cody Bellinger (hamstring) and Aaron Judge (rib) expected to return soon.

Chisholm capped off the scoring in the contest as he plated Luis García Jr. with an RBI triple off of Albert Suarez in the eighth inning. That would be his lone hit in the ballgame. While he has delivered quality fantasy production with 17 homers and 33 stolen bases on the season, he has done so while slashing an anemic .216/.296/.388 across 463 plate appearancs.

Chisholm’s steal was his 33rd of the year, tying him with Bobby Witt Jr. for third in MLB. He’s hitting just .216 with a .682 OPS, so it hasn’t been the free-agent walk year he or the Yankees hoped for. Still, the stolen bases to go along with 17 homers help in fantasy. He’s on pace to set a career high in steals, beating out the 40 he totaled two seasons ago.

No one is giving Jazz a five-year contract this winter, right? Chisholm was screened by the second base umpire on the double play ball, making it somewhat understandable that he failed to haul it in. However, he compounded the issue by expressing his displeasure instead of picking up the ball, which was only a couple of feet away from him, and perhaps still getting an out at first. After the 0-for, Chisholm is batting .214/.292/.384 on the season. He has 142 strikeouts and 87 hits.

Chisholm has really been struggling at the plate recently, hitting just .125/.222/.200 with one home run, three RBI and a 16/5 K/BB ratio in 45 plate appearances since the start of August, so getting a day off to clear his head instead of facing one of the toughest pitchers in the American League makes plenty of sense. Jose Caballero will start in his place at second base and bat ninth for the Bombers on Sunday.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. grabs a seat on the bench as well with veteran southpaw Chris Sale toeing the rubber for Atlanta in this one. García went deep in his Yankees debut earlier this week and has gone 4-for-17 with a pair of RBI in four contests since being acquired from the Nationals last weekend. He’s He’ll continue playing everyday against right-handed starters with Paul Goldschmidt seeing opportunities against lefties for the final two months. His left-handed swing feels perfectly suited for Yankee Stadium and he has a realistic shot at reaching the 30-homer plateau for the first time in his career.