It sounded ambitious, and perhaps a tad unrealistic, when Jazz Chisholm Jr. said last week he could be back after a minimum stay on the injured list for his UCL sprain.
Turns out he knew best.
The Yankees activated Chisholm off the 10-day IL on Friday, the first day he was eligible to return after giving the Yankees a scare when he injured his left elbow on Aug. 12 in Chicago.
The fact that it was his non-throwing elbow helped expedite Chisholm’s return, as swinging was the main hurdle to clear and he evidently passed those tests with flying colors over the last few days.
Chisholm will be back in the lineup Friday night against the Rockies at Yankee Stadium, hoping to pick up where he left off after hitting .316 with a 1.062 OPS and seven home runs in 14 games since being acquired from the Marlins a few days before the trade deadline.
Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza had filled in for Chisholm at third base while he was out, but Cabrera will now return to a utility role while Peraza was optioned to Triple-A on Thursday night.
The Yankees will now find out how Chisholm’s elbow responds to full-game action, as manager Aaron Boone said last week they might not know if they are fully in the clear until Chisholm was going “full-bore.”
Chisholm was confident he could avoid surgery (even in the offseason) unless his elbow got worse upon coming back.
