The Yankees will activate Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the injured list tomorrow, according to SNY’s Andy Martino (X). This evening, New York optioned Oswald Peraza back to Triple-A, freeing up an active roster spot.
It’s an incredibly speedy turnaround. Chisholm’s season appeared to be in risk after he damaged the UCL in his left (non-throwing) elbow a few weeks ago. The Yankees soon stated that they expected Chisholm to return this season, but they did not expect him to make such rapid improvement. As of last Friday, New York’s major deadline acquisition was expected to return sometime in September.
Barring a last-minute change in plans, Chisholm will return to the diamond after a brief absence. He’ll return to third base, where Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera have shared the workload over the last week and a half. This may be a huge lift for the New York lineup. Chisholm had been on a tear early in his career in the Bronx. In 14 games with the Yankees, he has seven home runs and a.316/.361/.702 batting line.
Chisholm isn’t the only guy who could soon return to the Yankees’ infield. Anthony Rizzo and Jon Berti are both set to begin rehab assignments in the coming days, according to the MLB.com injury tracker. Berti will travel to Double-A Somerset Wednesday, and Rizzo is anticipated to join him later this weekend. Position players are allowed to spend up to 20 days on minor league rehab assignments.
Both Berti and Rizzo are on the 60-day disabled list and have been out for several months. The former has appeared in just 17 games since the Yankees acquired him from Miami in a deal before Opening Day. Berti has been out since late May due to a major strain in his left calf. Rizzo fractured his right arm in a collision with Red Sox pitcher Brennan Bernardino in mid-June.
Following that, the Yankees promoted 25-year-old Ben Rice to take over the majority of first base duties. Rice has struggled in his first taste of MLB pitching, posting a.180/.279/.374 slash. The rookie hit three home runs against Boston last month, but he has only four in his previous 44 games.
