Yankees' Aaron Boone breaks his silence on Jazz Chisholm's bold prediction about returning from injury

The New York Yankees seem to have once again escaped the severity of Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s UCL injury.

But although Chisholm has boldly stated several times that he believes he will return at the end of the 10-day injured list, manager Aaron Boone has scaled back that prediction somewhat.

“That may be a bit ambitious,” Boone told the Talkin' Yanks Podcastst in their latest episode, released on Tuesday, August 20th.

“The good news is that (Chisholm) feels like this is a possibility.”

According to Boone, Chisholm swung the bat on Monday, the Yankees' off day, and hit it for the first time at about 50-70 percent of the speed off the tee.

The Yankees are encouraged by the strength and mobility of Chisholm's elbow and will watch how he continues to respond over the next few days as they ramp him back up.

Boone called Chisholm's left UCL injury the “best case scenario” considering it was his best hand as a left-handed batter at the plate and right-handed batter in the field.

Although there were initial concerns that surgery might be an option, the Yankees sought the advice of several doctors who recommended rest and rehabilitation as the best solution.

And at this point, it seems like Chisholm could be back sooner than expected, as he was originally scheduled to return in September.

Boone told Talkin' Yanks that surgery has not been completely ruled out since Chisholm has not yet returned to action, but early signs have given rise to optimism that he will be able to return and play again this season.

Chisholm injured his elbow on August 12 during the Yankees' series against the Chicago White Sox when he slid into home base. Two days later, he was placed on the injured list, retroactive to August 13.

Chisholm has made a big impact since being signed by the Miami Marlins before the trade deadline on July 27.

In 14 games in the pinstripe uniform, the 26-year-old posted a batting average of .316/.361/.702 with an OPS of 1.063, seven home runs and 11 RBIs. He also made it to third base and was more than solid at the position, despite never having played there in the major leagues.

The 10-day forecast may be a bit of wishful thinking on Chisholm's part, but he is trending toward a return in the near future, which would be crucial for the Yankees.