Miami Marlins star Jazz Chisholm Jr. was placed on the 10-day injured list with turf toe Tuesday, the team announced. He is expected to miss 4-6 weeks in a major blow to a Marlins team that, despite a 20-21 record and minus-56 run differential, currently sits in the third and final National League wild-card spot.
Chisholm suffered the injury Saturday when he ran into the center field wall attempting to make a catch. He remained on the ground for several minutes before limping off the field. Chisholm did not play Sunday and the Marlins had a day off Monday. Here's the play:
"It was like one or two things: I could have jumped to make a better impact into the wall, I could have stopped early," Chisholm told MLB.com on Saturday. "But then in my head, it's all about making that play. It's the eighth inning. Game's tied, two outs, we're about to go up to hit. We could literally win the game here."
Chisholm, a natural infielder, moved to center field this season so trade acquisition Luis Arraez could take over second base. There was an adjustment period in center, as you'd expect, though Chisholm's defense has improved greatly the last few weeks. He currently ranks third among all center fielders with plus-3 outs above average, per Statcast.
At the plate, things have not gone quite as well for Chisholm. He owns a .229/.291/.403 batting line with seven home runs, though it should be noted he hit .259/.329/.468 in the 17 games prior to the injury. It's possible it took Chisholm some time to get settled in at the plate because he was learning a new position defensively.
Miami is likely to use a combination of Peyton Burdick, Bryan De La Cruz, and Garrett Hampson in center field while Chisholm is sidelined. Super utility man Jon Berti is more of an emergency option in center at this point in his career.
The Marlins are 20-21 thanks to an incredible 12-1 record in one-run games. They won each of their first 12 one-run games, the longest such streak to begin a season in history.
