Jazz Chisholm Jr. Blames Early Struggles on Cold Weather

Jazz Chisholm Jr. has an explanation for his early struggles, but it feels a bit simplistic.

Through 12 games entering Friday’s action, the Yankees’ second baseman is slashing .186/.255/.256, for an OPS of .511. He has no home runs, three doubles, and 15 strikeouts against three walks. He has produced 0.1 fWAR and is only positive because of his defensive work.

To make things worse, Chisholm is in the sixth percentile in xwOBA (.228) and xSLG (.239), 11th in xBA (.178) and 33rd in average exit velocity (87.8). Plain and simple, he’s been awful at the plate.

Chisholm started slowly in 2025 as well. Through 12 games in ’25, he was slashing .180/.255/.460. When asked about his slow start to 2026, he pointed to that.

“How were my numbers by season’s end?” Chisholm asked.

He wound up slashing .242/.333/.481 with career-highs in home runs (31), RBIs (80) and fWAR (4.4). He won a Silver Slugger in what was his first full season with the Yankees and undoubtedly the best of his career.

The 28-year-old thinks he has an answer for his slow starts.

“It’s cold. It’s literally all it is,” Chisholm said. “My swing feels great. When you step into that cold weather and you stand there a couple of innings, your body starts to freeze.

“I’m not using that as an excuse. I said the same thing last year. As soon as the weather heats up, I heat up. That’s what it is. I can’t explain why. It’s not like I’m not trying. I’m definitely trying ... It’s hard to function when you can’t feel the bat.”

He then said reporters should question him about how he’s playing in a month, and to say something if he still has “no homers after 40 games.”

Being cold is uncomfortable, and that could certainly be an issue, but the Yankees are struggling as a team, which might point to something more. New York currently ranks 21st in OPS (.660), 14th in on-base percentage (.316), 15th in home runs (11), 24th in slugging (.344) and 29th in hits (80).

And if this is about the cold, the whole team is struggling with the conditions—not just Chisholm. In fact, only Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton seem to be hitting well. Rice is slashing .324/.479/.676 with three home runs, while Stanton is hitting .326 with a .370 on-base percentage while slugging .442.

The team is getting excellent pitching so far, but it needs much more from its offense if it plans to compete in the AL East. Without Chisholm, Aaron Judge and the rest of the lineup stepping up consistently, it could be a long season.

The Yankees face the Rays this weekend in Tampa Bay. That’ll be a chance to test Chisholm’s theory about the weather gumming up the works of the team’s offense.

If he’s right, Tropicana Field should provide a welcome relief from the cold. If not, there are likely bigger issues at play.

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