The first game of the series against the Minnesota Twins ended in a win, offering a sense of relief to the fans. After all, it snapped a seven-game skid. However, the relief was only temporary. The Pinstripes quickly went back to their recent struggles and dropped the remainder of their final home series before the All-Star break. They have now won just four of their last 17 games. And the mood inside the clubhouse? Not good, according to Jazz Chisholm Jr.

“We just hate losing. I mean, concern level is high because everybody’s just trying to work on certain things every day and try to help the game and help the team win every day when it’s not going well,” Chisholm said after the 6-1 defeat in the third game. “And it kind of s–ks. So a lot of guys are kind of tense. But at the same time, we just got to remember who we are.”

The Yankees suffered a series sweep in Boston, and it was a four-game series against a team that has been at the bottom of its own division for almost the entire season. Then they came back to New York for a six-game home stand, and the Detroit Tigers swept the Yankees again. 

They finally won the first game hosting the Twins, but suffered an 11-4 and 6-1 defeat after that. The Pinstripes had a five-game losing streak earlier in April that cost them two series, but it never looked this concerning. 

The offense is struggling, and they are unable to build momentum. Even Chisholm Jr. is hitting .172 with 5 hits and 2 runs scored in his last 10 games.

That’s why the discontent on his face was so apparent. 

But it might also have had something to do with his injury. 

Jazz Chisholm Jr. hurt his toe after rounding first base on a single off right-hander Joe Ryan in the second inning this Sunday. He remained in the game and came to the plate again in the fifth. After he was flown out to right field, he was limping a little on his way to the dugout. 

The X-ray came back negative, but he is currently day-to-day. 

“There is a little bit of throbbing in there. When you aggravate it, it hurts,” Chisholm said. “You don’t move the same [way] sometimes. It was a huge relief [knowing] I’m good.”

Although this has been a problem since mid-May, it’s surely a relief that he didn’t end up on the injured list. After Carlos Rodón suffered an injury this weekend, with what the Yankees described as “heavy inflammation,” it doesn’t look like the Yankees can survive setbacks anymore. 

Aaron Judge, the biggest gun, is on the injured list, and so are Max Fried and Clarke Schmidt, among a few others. New York is struggling with both poor form and a depleted roster. 

That’s why Jazz Chisholm Jr. mentioned the concern being high. But he also pushed the clubhouse “to remember who we are.” Turning those words into reality is currently the Yankees’ biggest challenge.