NEW YORK — The Yankees entered Thursday needing good news on the injury front. They got a little, and then they got more bad news.
The medical bulletin covered a wide range of players, from a catcher swinging a hot bat in Triple-A to a top prospect landing on the injured list. The full picture painted a familiar portrait of a roster managing more than its share of setbacks.
Chisholm exits after painful foul ball
The positive Wells news was quickly offset by another injury scare involving the Yankees’ infield. Jazz Chisholm Jr. left Thursday’s game against the White Sox mid-at-bat in the fourth inning after fouling a ball off his groin.
The second baseman doubled over in pain and was attended to by trainers on the field. Anthony Volpe stepped in to complete the at-bat with a 2-2 count and worked a walk.
Chisholm was unavailable to the media after the game. The Yankees did not provide an official diagnosis or a timetable for his return. Manager Aaron Boone shifted Jose Caballero to second base and kept Volpe at shortstop for the remainder of the loss.
The Yankees are already managing the absences of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, so any additional time without Chisholm would strain the depth of their batting order. Through 69 games, Chisholm is batting .229 with 10 home runs, 30 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases, and had been one of the team’s most active players since his slow start to the year.
Lombard hits the injured list
George Lombard Jr. has been placed on the seven-day injured list at Triple-A.
A Yankees spokesperson confirmed Thursday that Gerorge Lombard Jr. sprained several fingers on his left hand, his glove hand, during Tuesday’s Triple-A game. The injury occurred when Columbus baserunner Bo Naylor slid into him on a stolen-base throw, knocking the glove off his hand.
Boone did not add much when asked for an update on Lombard after the White Sox series finale. The manager said there had been encouraging early signs on the initial testing but declined to offer a firm timeline.
Lombard, a first-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, had been one of the more closely watched names in the Yankees organization. He was batting .231 with four home runs, 15 RBIs, and eight stolen bases across 42 Triple-A games before the injury.
Fans reacted with cautious relief that the situation was not more severe. One assessment circulating on social media noted the team could still potentially see Lombard in August or September if the recovery goes smoothly.
Schmidt still weeks from facing hitters
For the Yankees, Clarke Schmidt remains the longest-running injury concern on the pitching side. The right-hander, who underwent Tommy John surgery last July, threw a side session at Yankee Stadium on June 17 but is still not close to the next major step in his return.
Boone said Schmidt is still a couple of weeks away from facing live hitters for the first time since the surgery. The pitcher had previously expressed hope that he could face hitters by the end of June, but that target appears likely to slip into July.
Per MLB.com, a possible return timeline of August has been floated, though no specific date has been set. The Yankees are taking a careful approach with the 30-year-old, who went 4-4 with a 3.32 ERA in 14 games during the 2025 season before getting hurt.
Schmidt has spent all six years of his career with the Yankees, posting a 23-24 record and a 3.82 ERA across 97 big league appearances. His return would give the team additional pitching flexibility in the second half, potentially as a bullpen arm rather than a rotation slot.
The Yankees open a new homestand Friday when the Cincinnati Reds visit the Bronx. New York carries a 45-27 record into the weekend series and holds first place in the American League East.
Wells provides the bright spot
The most encouraging development for the Yankees came from the minor leagues. Austin Wells continued his rehab assignment at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre by hitting two home runs in Thursday’s game at Columbus.
Wells drove in three runs and showed genuine power at the plate. He led off the game by jumping on a first-pitch fastball from Columbus starter Pedro Avila, a 93.2 mph offering he deposited over the center-field fence. He added a second homer in the seventh inning, connecting off Ryan Webb’s 91.6 mph pitch with a runner on base.
The Yankees catcher had been on the 10-day injured list since June 6 because of cervical headaches. The timing of his power display was not lost on manager Aaron Boone.
“We haven’t made any decisions yet,” Boone said of Wells’s potential return. He noted that the two home runs were encouraging and added that Wells had been doing extensive cage work with the club’s director of hitting, Jarret DeHart.
“They feel like they’ve had a couple of really good days of work,” Boone said. “Then obviously today, he goes out and gets some results, so that’s a good thing to see. We want to keep building on that.”
The tentative plan is for Wells to remain with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at least through Friday’s doubleheader at Columbus. Wells had been hitting .166 with a .533 OPS in 145 at-bats before his IL stint, so the home runs in rehab are particularly welcome for the Yankees.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
