Jazz Chisholm Jr. hitless in Yankees return; LeMahieu scratched

Jazz Chisholm Jr.came off the 10-day injured list Friday after he was sidelined with a sprained left elbow and went 0-for-3 in the New York Yankees' 3-0 win over the Colorado Rockies.

Chisholm batted fifth and started at third base in the series opener against the Rockies at Yankee Stadium.

Not in the lineup Friday was DJLeMahieu. He was scratched after suffering what the team called "a facial contusion" when he was hit with a ball during batting practice before the game.

Chisholm was hurt Aug. 12 on a head-first dive into home plate while scoring in a loss to theChicago White Sox. Initial X-rays came back clear, but the Yankees didn't rule out the possibility of surgery until an MRI detected no damage to his UCL.

He had a fast start with the Yankees, hitting seven homers in his first 12 games, becoming the first player in franchise history to accomplish the feat. Chisholm made 13 of his first 14 starts at third base after never having played the position as a big leaguer.

"No secret how well he's played for us since he's come over," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before Friday's game. "I know he wanted to play [last] Friday after a day off, when we put him on the IL, so I know he was chomping at the bit there."

To make room for Chisholm, the Yankees optioned infielder Oswald Peraza to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after Thursday's game.

LeMahieu, meanwhile, was hit in the face by a ball while taking grounders at first base. He was visited by an athletic trainer before he headed into the clubhouse. The Yankees said LeMahieu, who was slated to play first base and bat ninth, was scratched for precautionary reasons.

Rookie Ben Rice replaced LeMahieu at first base and in the No. 9 spot in the batting order. He went 1-for-3.

LeMahieu, in the fourth year of a six-year, $90 million deal, is batting .189 with two homers and 24 RBIs in 62 games this season.

The 36-year-old, who played for the Rockies from 2012 to 2018, missed the first two months of the season with a fractured right foot. LeMahieu won a batting title with the Yankees in 2020 and another with the Rockies in 2016.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.