Yankees Leave Jazz Chisholm Jr. Out of Starting Lineup

Chisholm, 28, is off to a brutal start to the 2026 season. Set to hit free agency after the season, the second baseman boldly predicted that he would become the second-ever member of the 50-50 club (Shohei Ohtani being the first) before the year. Unfortunately, he has yet to find any consistency at the dish and is hitting just .201/.281/.322 with four home runs and a 73 wRC+ in 167 plate appearances.

To make matters worse, many of Chisholm's advanced metrics do not indicate that he will turn things around quickly. According to Statcast, the slumping slugger has an expected weighted on-base average (xwOBA) of .262, an expected batting average of .186, and an expected slugging percentage of .310, all of which rank in the 11th percentile or worse among qualified MLB hitters. Low barrel (6%, 31st percentile) and hard-hit rates (35.6%, 24th percentile) have created even more cause for concern.

Chisholm was brutally honest about his struggles in a pregame interview with Meredith Marakovits of YES Network. Nonetheless, he still expressed optimism that he could find a groove at the plate.

"It kinda sucks that you can't help your team win all the time, especially when you're supposed to be one of the guys that really helps your team on the offensive side of things," Chisholm said. "But you know, just gotta keep on rolling with the punches, you know one day it's gonna click and we're gonna be right back to where we were at."

Chisholm's absence from the lineup is seemingly a one-day thing, as the Orioles are starting left-hander Trevor Rogers tonight. The lefty-swinging second baseman has especially struggled against southpaws this year with a .271 slugging percentage.

"I'm going to take a full break [today]," Chisholm responded when Marakovits asked him what he'd do on his day off. "I feel like I've been working myself so hard that I've been overthinking things, so I'm just gonna take the day off."

Known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, Chisholm is capable of being one of the league's best second basemen. Last year, he became the Yankees' first member of the 30-30 club since Alfonso Soriano in 2003, while slashing .242/.332/.481 with a 126 wRC+ and 4.4 fWAR.

Hopefully, the two-time All-Star can find an offensive rhythm to not only be a key contributor to the Yankees, but also regain the swagger he's well known for.