Jazz Chisholm Jr. can look like one of the sport’s most explosive players when everything is clicking. That’s the version the Yankees need now, with September looming and the AL East race tightening.
The problem, as Yankees fans have seen, is that the flashes of brilliance come with frustrating lapses. Chisholm has been prone to losing focus on the bases, and he has also committed several costly throwing errors this season. Those mistakes have become the main source of irritation around the two-time All-Star, even as he leads the American League with 40 stolen bases.
FanSided’s Rucker Haringey framed the concern bluntly: "[Aaron] Boone needs his second baseman to lock in mentally if his team is going to catch Tampa Bay. Chisholm has been unable to achieve that level of focus during his time in the Bronx," FanSided's Rucker Haringey wrote. "The pressure of a division race coupled with his impending free agency will be too much for Chisholm to handle in September."
Chisholm has said repeatedly that free agency isn’t where his attention is. He says his priority is helping the Yankees win a World Series.
That focus will matter even more if New York wants a smoother route through October. The Yankees are three games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East, and avoiding the Wild Card Series would be a major goal.
Haringey also expects the bat to keep drawing attention. "Expect Chisholm to flash brilliance at the plate during the next few weeks, but his struggles in the field will draw more headlines in New York," Haringey wrote. "A few high-profile errors and baserunning gaffes will help gift the Rays an easier path towards a division title."
September now looms as a big month for Chisholm, both for what he does on the field and for how his pending free agency gets viewed.
In Other News...
Yankees Suddenly Have A Center Field Problem They Couldn't Afford
Trent Grishams night ended early against the Padres after a right hamstring injury flared up while he was trying to steal second base, a jolt the Yankees could not have wanted in the middle of sorting out their center field situation. Aaron Boone said the issue was aggravated enough that Grisham was having trouble getting around in the outfield, which led to the defensive change and quickly turned a routine game note into something more concerning.
The Yankees are now waiting on MRI results to see how serious it is and whether Grisham will need an injured-list stint. For a club already trying to piece together enough steady production in center, the timing could not be worse, since any absence would force another adjustment in a part of the roster that has been hard to stabilize. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Weavers Sudden Pirates Struggles Had A Brutal Hidden Cause
Luke Weavers move from New York to Pittsburgh on Aug. 3 was supposed to give the Pirates a fresh arm for the stretch run, but the early returns were rough. His pitching dropped off soon after the trade, and the timing lined up with a severe poison ivy rash he picked up during a series in Miami, a problem that did more than make him uncomfortable.
Weaver was dealing with broken sleep and a body that clearly was not at full strength, even as he kept taking the ball for the Pirates. The club never sent him to the injured list, leaving him to work through the issue while trying to settle in with a new team, which only adds another layer to what looked at first like a simple post-trade slump. [Read more 🡒]
Cody Bellingers Name Was Used In A Disturbing Scam Fans Need To See
A fake social media account impersonating Cody Bellinger recently used the Yankees outfielders photos and identity to convince a young woman they were in a relationship, even going as far as creating AI-generated videos showing the two together. It is the latest example of how quickly online impostors can turn a familiar face into a convincing lie, especially when they have access to realistic images and artificial intelligence tools.
For Yankees fans, the unsettling part is not just that Bellingers name was used, but how ordinary these scams are becoming. The FBI says AI-enabled impersonation schemes have driven hundreds of millions of dollars in losses and surged by about 1,400% year over year, a reminder that this kind of fraud is no longer rare or crude. It has become polished enough to fool people, and in cases like this, personal enough to leave real damage behind. [Read more 🡒]