As Jazz Chisholm Jr. makes his return, how might Marlins utilize him in the lineup?
The Miami Marlins are getting a significant boost to their lineup as they begin their series with the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, the first game of their final road trip before the All-Star Break.
Center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., after nearly a month and a half on the injured list due to turf toe, is back. The Marlins activated him from the injured list Monday following a week of rehab assignment games with Triple A Jacksonville.
The news is welcomed.
Chisholm, a left-handed hitter who can be a table setter and hit for power in addition to being a menace on the basepaths, adds yet another dynamic to the Marlins’ lineup with the team off to one of the best starts in franchise history at 45-34 entering the Red Sox series.
Despite only playing in 39 games this season, he still leads the team with 14 stolen bases to go along with seven home runs, 16 RBI and 16 runs scored.
That’s in addition to him looking steady in center field, too. Chisholm has been credited with three outs above average in center field.
“Everyone’s looking forward to having him back,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said last week. “Another left-handed hitter in the lineup that was playing really good defense when he got hurt. He was feeling comfortable out there. He’s also a threat on the bases. He was outrunning the baseball. He’s a guy that can just outrun a ball. He was probably going to lead our team — at least — in stolen bases and was hitting the ball really well to the opposite field. He was feeling good.”
But exactly how the Marlins deploy Chisholm hasn’t been decided yet.
One thing is certain.
“He’s going to be part of the team and the lineup,” Schumaker said. “Obviously, he’s one of the better players in the game when he’s healthy.”
But where will Chisholm be slotted in the lineup on a day-to-day basis? That’s not certain yet. Chisholm is batting fourth Tuesday.
Chisholm has primarily been the Marlins’ leadoff hitter this season when healthy, batting No. 1 in the lineup in 26 of his 38 starts. He has his best production there, too, hitting .265 with a .757 on-base-plus-slugging mark, five home runs, 12 RBI and 14 runs scored.
When Chisholm is batting anywhere else in the lineup, he’s hitting .143 (6 for 42).
“There’s a really good thing going on [with the lineup],” Schumaker said, “but adding another really good player can only benefit us. The order, I haven’t gone through that entirely yet. ... We’ll figure that out as it goes.”
In Chisholm’s absence, second baseman Luis Arraez has been the Marlins’ primary leadoff hitter. Arraez enters Tuesday leading MLB with a .399 batting average and is attempting to become the first player since Ted Williams in 1941 to finish a season with a .400 batting average.
The thing with Arraez is he’s going to hit wherever he is in the lineup. His approach rarely, if ever, changes.
In 29 starts batting leadoff, Arraez is hitting .444 (51 for 115) with six doubles, two home runs, 19 RBI and 18 runs scored. In 34 starts batting third, Arraez is hitting .381 (51 for 134) with eight doubles, one triple, one home run, 15 RBI and 14 runs scored.
Schumaker has been known to shake things up with the lineup, moving guys up and down the order depending on their performance or how players match up with the opposing starting pitcher. That’s a factor as well.
“We also have a lot of length in the lineup when everyone’s going,” Schumaker said. “It certainly helps when you have a hot hitter maybe in the middle-to-bottom of the lineup to get back to the top.”
Another factor: How often Chisholm is in the lineup immediately after his return from injury.
When the Marlins activated Chisholm and third baseman Jean Segura from the injured list Monday, they optioned infielder prospect Jacob Amaya and utility player Garrett Hampson to Triple A Jacksonville.
Jonathan Davis, who the Marlins acquired via trade about a week after Chisholm got hurt and has received the bulk of the playing time in center field in Chisholm’s absence, remains on the active roster. Davis is now most likely going to be a true fourth outfielder, spelling Chisholm or corner outfielders Jesus Sanchez or Bryan De La Cruz when they need days off.
This story was originally published June 27, 2023 at 11:09 AM.
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