Plenty of things have gone right for the New York Yankees to start the 2026 season, as they are out to an 8-2 start. Any criticisms of the team would be nit-picky at this point; but then again, that’s what the point of us in the media if we don’t nit-pick?
One member of the Yankees broadcast team seemed frustrated with a specific Yankees player on Tuesday night; nit-picking, if you will.
Broadcaster Suzyn Waldman is no stranger to criticizing the team she covers, and she did it again on Tuesday night. Jazz Chisholm was humbled by the new ABS challenge system with a call that was quickly confirmed after he took a called strike and challenged it. Waldman took exception to Chisholm’s poor decision.
After the umpire announced that Chisholm was challenging the called strike, Waldman quickly quipped, “okay, that’s — Jazz is not that good at this.”
Love Waldman or hate her, love Chisholm or hate him, the moment certainly elicited a laugh from listeners.
Chisholm is now 1-2 on challenges this season; like many other players getting used to the new system, it’s taking some time for the Yankees infielder to figure out how and when to use it.
Chisholm Off to Slow Start to 2026 Season
Outside of his shaky challenge on Tuesday night, Chisholm has been quiet at the plate to start the season. In 10 games, the shortstop is batting just .200 — an 8-for-40 clip. He hasn’t homered yet and has struck out 13 times.
The strikeouts are the most concerning statistic to arise for Chisholm amidst his slow start. Known as a guy who strikes out a lot, 13 K’s in 10 games is a high clip, even for him. It’s obviously a small sample size but a poor start can lead to plenty of criticism and pressure, especially in as big and passionate a market as New York is.
Through 10 games, Chisholm ranks in the bottom 20 percentile of three important advanced statistical categories: strikeout percentage, walk percentage, hard-hit percentage, and batting run value.
New York will need him to turn things around sooner than later to pick up the slack when other guys inevitably cool off.
Yankees Lineup Rounding Out Early in Season
The Yankees have been driven by two batters so far this season: Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton. Rice has gone 11-for-29 to start the campaign with three homers and 11 RBI, while Stanton is 14-for-37 with one homer and seven runs driven in.
Both were expected to be key cogs in the Yankees lineup, but the other bat that was supposed to deliver big outside of Chisholm is, of course, Aaron Judge.
Judge has long been criticized for disappearing in big moments like the MLB playoffs and the World Baseball Classic. Though these are obviously far less important games in early April, his .237 start at the plate has been a cause for small concern for New York.
Most have no doubt he’ll turn it around soon enough, and really, the pressure from fans will only build higher when New York is back in the playoffs.
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