‘Just brings a different dynamic’: Marlins get internal boost with Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s return
From the moment he stepped into the batter’s box in the first inning Monday, Miami Marlins center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. looked comfortable, relaxed and in the zone. After taking the first pitch offered to him from Taijuan Walker, Chisholm lifted a splitter down in the zone into right field for an easy double.
Chisholm was back ... again.
Chisholm made his return from his second extended injured list stint in the Marlins’ 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies to open a four-game series at loanDepot park. He had missed the team’s previous 21 games after sustaining a left oblique strain just one week after returning from a 39-game absence due to turf toe.
For those keeping count, Chisholm had missed 60 of Miami’s previous 66 games.
“It’s always great to get back on the field,” Chisholm said. “I missed playing. I’ve been gone for another month again. Didn’t think [a second injury] was going to happen that quickly, but I’m just super excited to be back.”
The Marlins are, too.
The team is still trying to add to the roster ahead of MLB’s 6 p.m. Tuesday trade deadline as it pushes for a playoff spot. Miami entered Tuesday in a three-way tie with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers for the National League’s third wild card spot.
If nothing else, though, having Chisholm and Avisail Garcia (who returned on Sunday) back on the active roster provides an instant boost to the lineup regardless of what external additions they make so long as they can stay healthy down the stretch.
Especially considering Chisholm’s skill set. He can hit for average and power. He draws walks. He steals bases. And while he’s still relatively new in center field, he has held his own at the position.
Chisholm entered Tuesday’s game against the Phillies hitting .247 with a .753 OPS, five doubles, nine home runs, 21 RBI, 20 runs scored and 15 stolen bases in 46 games played. Despite the limited action, his 15 stolen bases lead the team and he’s fifth on the club in home runs.
“It’s meaningful to our lineup,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “His presence, he can hit the ball all over the place. The speed is real. .. It just brings a different dynamic to our team. And the energy? He loves playing baseball. We love having him around.”
The focus now is keeping Chisholm around. Injuries have plagued him every year he has been in the big leagues.
In 2021, it was a shoulder contusion and an ankle sprain. In 2022, it was a stress fracture in his lower back and a torn meniscus (the latter of which he played through all season before the back injury). And this year, it was turf toe and then the oblique.
And when he’s sidelined, most of the time for longer stints than he wants, his sole focus is finding a way to get back on the field. Despite missing four weeks due to the oblique injury, Chisholm returned to the active roster after playing in just one rehab assignment game with Class A Jupiter.
“I just eat, sleep and breathe baseball,” Chisholm said. “I visualize it all day. I’m thinking about it all day. I feel like it never leaves, in a way.”
Added Schumaker: “He’s just a different athlete. Some guys just don’t need as much time to get back and we’re hoping that he’s one of the guys that will help carry us the next few weeks.”
Chisholm looked the part on Monday against the Phillies. He hit a double in his first at-bat and also drew a walk and stole a base in his fifth-inning plate appearance while playing a clean center field.
“He looked great. He felt good, which is obviously good to hear,” Schumaker said. “Talking to him after the game, his legs feel fine. With the oblique, you worry about everything else because you can’t run when have the oblique [injury] initially. Getting his legs underneath him, a stolen base, running round the outfield, he looked fine. A healthy Jazz makes our lineup look a lot better.”
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