Jazz Chisholm Enters Concussion Protocol After Yankees Teammate Jasson Dominguez Collision
A scary sequence at Yankee Stadium ended with Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the concussion protocol.
The New York Yankees announced Monday night that Chisholm was examined by team physician Christopher Ahmad and placed in the league’s concussion protocol after a fourth-inning collision with teammate Jasson Dominguez. The two Yankees outfielders converged on a shallow fly ball hit by Tigers batter Hao-Yu Lee and Dominguez arrived first, unable to properly call off his teammate. The result was Chisholm getting clotheslined by Dominguez’s arm at full speed.
Chisholm went down hard. He stayed on the ground for several moments before being helped up. The Yankees pulled him from the game immediately.
Dominguez, to his credit, took accountability afterward. He told reporters he tried to call for the ball but was not loud enough for Chisholm to hear him. That is a small margin for error at any level, and it is even smaller in the big leagues where players are running full speed with their heads down and eyes on the ball.
“It was really unfortunate,” Dominguez said. “Double play, infield in. When they hit the ball, in my mind was just, I’ve got to go catch the ball.”
For Chisholm, this is another rough week on top of an already rough week. He was ejected in the sixth inning of Sunday’s game against the Boston Red Sox for arguing a check-swing call. His temper has been shorter than usual, and his production at the plate has not been where it needs to be.
The 2-time All-Star is hitting well below his career norms this season, and the concussion protocol will keep him out for at least 7 to 10 days minimum under current MLB guidelines. He has to pass a series of neurological tests before he can return to any baseball activity, and there is no fast-tracking that process.
The Yankees can absorb the loss for a bit. Manager Aaron Boone has depth in the outfield and has been platooning through the second half of June anyway. But losing Chisholm’s defense at second base is not ideal, and using DJ LeMahieu or another utility piece there long-term will stress the lineup.
There is a bigger picture concern for New York. The Yankees have had a run of freak injuries this season. Their pitching depth has been tested. Their offense has been inconsistent. Losing a middle-of-the-order bat like Chisholm even for a short stretch does not help.
The Detroit Tigers went on to win 4-3 on Monday behind a strong outing from Tarik Skubal. That result is going to get overshadowed by the Chisholm injury, which is going to be the talking point across baseball for the next 48 hours.
Concussion protocol is not something to rush. Everyone in that Yankees dugout knows it. Jazz Chisholm’s return is now on the doctors’ timeline, not on his own. And Jasson Dominguez, who made the same play thousands of times in his career without hitting his teammate, is left with a moment he will not forget.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
