Jazz Chisholm has been sidelined since June 28 with a back injury. The Marlins were initially expecting a short absence after he was diagnosed with a lower back strain. He had progressed to baseball activities but still had pain when cutting and running. Chisholm was sent for a follow-up scan on Thursday to evaluate healing, and it revealed a more serious injury. Chisholm is actually dealing with a stress fracture to his back. It is expected to sideline him for six week, but realistically this could lead to the end of his season.
A back stress fracture is a tough injury for a baseball player to overcome due to the rotational movement of the core when swinging the bat. Then there are the other movements like throwing, sprinting and cutting, both when fielding and running the bases. Due to the nature of this injury, Chisholm isn’t going to be allowed to pick up a bat for at least a month. This injury will take 6-8 to fully heal, and then additional time could be needed to rebuild strength and reintroduce baseball activities. With the Marlins out of the playoff picture, the best decision could be to shut him down for the season.
The Marlins are struggling, especially their offense, and losing Jazz for an extended period of time is a huge loss for their lineup. Unfortunately this is a very challenging injury and one that will keep him out for most, if not all, of the season. He should be fully recovered and healthy ahead of the 2023 season.
