It looks like Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s “We just got to remember who we are” admission finally worked for the Yankees in their series opener against the Washington Nationals. The team broke out of its offensive slump after closing its series against the Tampa Bay Rays with its first double-digit win in a while. The following day, Chisholm Jr.’s performance at the plate did all the talking. As he helped the Yankees take the lead against the Nationals on Friday, the Yankees’ skipper made it clear he still wants more from the second baseman.

“I feel like he got off to a tough start in April; since then has been fine. But Jazz shouldn’t be fine. He’s better than that. So hopefully he’s setting himself up for a really good second half,” Aaron Boone told Greg Joyce of the New York Post.

And rightfully so, Jazz Chisholm Jr. has struggled at the plate at times this season.

Currently in his walk year, Chisholm is slashing .222/.304/.395 in 89 games this season. He went 18-for-90 in April, driving three home runs and 9 RBIs. However, he is working to get past his struggles.

The 28-year-old put on a dominant show at the batter’s box against the Nationals, as the Yankees rallied past with a 5-3 victory. A three-run ninth inning punctuated the win.

It started with a single from Jasson Dominguez on a line drive off Nationals reliever Matt Krook. With Dominguez on first, Chisholm was up next. On an 82-mph sweeper, Chisholm launched his thirteenth home run of the season on Friday. His two-run shot pushed the Yankees ahead 4-3.

Another out brought the struggling catcher, Austin Wells, to the plate. But this time, Wells rose to the occasion with a home run of his own. Amid his uncertain future with the franchise, the primary backstop scored the winning run for his team.

Such a run is a relief for the Yankees faithful after multiple factors troubled Chisholm in the first half of the season, ranging from hitting slumps and ABS challenges to fielding blunders. His actions have landed him in the face of fan resentment multiple times as well.

The MLB is adjusting to the newly introduced ABS challenge, and for Jazz Chisholm Jr., it has been nearly nightmarish. He has struggled majorly with strike zone perception, exhausting challenges on obvious calls. As per the data from mid-June, Chisholm has recorded only 4 successful overturns out of the 15 times he has used it. His strike zone was so bad that he fined himself $1,000 after a game against the Houston Astros.

The second baseman’s on-field blunders do not end with wrong ABS challenges. He landed himself at the centre of ridicule with a fielding blunder against the Tampa Bay Rays.

After missing out on a double play during the Yankees’ extra-innings loss in April, he got confused about how a double play worked. In a post-game interview, he said, “I don’t know what the rule is.”

Now, the Yankees finally appear to have snapped out of their recent slump; Boone would want the best from his players, including Chisholm Jr.