Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm not worried about oblique issue as Aaron Boone takes cautious view

BALTIMORE — Jazz Chisholm Jr. insists he is not concerned about his oblique, or as he and the Yankees initially called it, his flank discomfort that forced him to leave Tuesday’s game in the top of the first inning.

But an MRI exam on Thursday back in New York will be the ultimate judge of that.

At least for now, after a 15-3 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards, Chisholm was mostly able to laugh off the details of the injury scare after tweaking his side on his first swing of the night.

“I’m really not as concerned as everybody else,” Chisholm said. “I feel pretty good. I’ve torn my oblique before so I know it’s not torn or anything. I can cough without any pain. It was just to be cautious not to try to overdo it.

“I’d rather take two to three days off than six weeks.”

Aaron Boone took a more cautious approach, indicating he had some fear that it could lead to a stint on the injured list.

“He seems to be doing good, but he’s definitely got something going on with the oblique,” Boone said. “He just told me, ‘I’m fine.’ I don’t know about that, but we’ll see what we have.”

Jazz Chisholm dives into third base after hitting a double and heading to third on an error during the first inning of the Yankees’ win over the Orioles on April 29, 2025. Getty Images

Chisholm sustained the injury on a swing in the first inning and was visibly uncomfortable, taking time to twist his core while getting checked on by Boone and a trainer.

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But he stayed in the game and took an easier swing for a double down the line on which he raced into third after a fielding error.

But he got up from his dive gingerly and seconds later was walking off the field for a pinch runner.

“I kind of know my body,” Chisholm said. “I guess these things right most of the time. I would know if I’m super in pain or my stuff is messed up like that.”

Jazz Chisholm reacts after suffering flank discomfort and being forced to exit the game in the first inning of the Yankees’ blowout win over the Orioles. AP

As for the “flank” designation, Chisholm joked that he may have come up with it after looking up what it was.

“It really is in my flank,” Chisholm said. “But yeah, it’s the same spot, oblique. If you look at a cow, that’s their oblique I guess. … It’s no different at all. It’s the same thing. I just like flank.”

DJ LeMahieu’s rehab assignment is on pause after he got a cortisone shot in a body part different than the one that already had him sidelined.

The veteran infielder, trying to come back from a calf strain, received an injection in his hip on Tuesday, Boone said, “kind of preemptively” to get ahead of something LeMahieu felt might be coming on.

“My sense is it was pretty minor,” Boone said. “DJ’s always been so tough and his way is just to kind of power through things and grind through things. I think it’s him saying this is something that’s worked for him in the past when he’s had some issues. I think he just wants to make sure he gives himself the best runway to be successful.”

LeMahieu had gone 6-for-10 in four games with Double-A Somerset last week and was set to have his assignment transferred to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday to increase his workload.

The Yankees are hoping he can get back in games by Thursday or Friday, Boone said, though that is no guarantee for a 36-year-old whose career has been derailed in recent years by various lower-body injuries.

“He felt a little something may be coming on, so just wanted to knock it out, wanting to be proactive knowing he needs this to — wants this to go really well in his buildup and everything,” Boone said.

“I know he feels good [at the plate]. So hopefully it continues to go that way and he can get up here and help us.”