Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. will compete in MLB Home Run Derby

A day after saying he likely would “have some fun” in this year’s Home Run Derby in Atlanta if asked to participate, Jazz Chisholm Jr. received that invite on Thursday and jumped at the chance.

Major League Baseball announced the decision shortly after the start of Thursday night’s game against the Mariners. Chisholm, who came into the night ranked second on the Yankees in homers with 17 (Aaron Judge led the way with 34), hit two homers and drove in four runs in Wednesday night’s 9-6 victory. He was named to his second All-Star Game on Sunday (the first came in 2022 when Chisholm was a  Marlin).

“I mean, if they call me and ask me, I probably would be interested in doing it,” Chisholm said of the Derby after Wednesday’s game. “I was just trying to get some hits and help the team. Even in the first at-bat, I wasn’t trying to hit a home run, I was just trying to bring in that RBI.”

Chisholm, among the Yankees’ top offensive performers since coming off the injured list on June 3, entered Thursday hitting .316 with 10 homers, 26 RBIs and a 1.028 OPS in 31 games. Overall, he was hitting .251 with 43 RBIs and an .876 OPS.

The dynamic Chisholm started the season as the club’s starting second baseman but was moved to third when DJ LeMahieu came off the injured list in mid-May. Chisholm learned third base on the fly at the professional level last season after coming to the Yankees via trade from the Marlins. He was moved back to second on Tuesday  and LeMahieu was designated for assignment on Wednesday.

The last Yankee to win the Derby was Judge, in 2017 at Marlins Park in Miami. Judge has said every year since then that he won’t participate in another one unless it is held at Yankee Stadium.

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.