It was a long time coming, but Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. finally returned to the lineup on Tuesday after missing more than a month with an oblique injury.

And what did he do in his first game back? Oh, just about everything.

Starting at third base for the first time since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, Chisholm Jr. handled himself well, and even made a great play at the hot corner in the first inning.

At the plate? He picked up the Yankees’ first hit in the fifth inning with a bloop single and scored from second base on a DJ LeMahieu single. And then he hit the go-ahead homer in the seventh to lift New York to a 3-2 win over the Guardians.

“It was great to see all the things he can do on the diamond,” manager Aaron Boone said of Chisholm Jr. “The speed scoring easily from second on the hit from DJ. The homer to give us the lead right back after they tied it up. Pretty good play over on third to get the night started. Really excited to have him back and good to see him have that kind of impact right away.”

Before the injury, Chisholm was struggling at the plate after a scorching start where he hit four long balls in his first six games. He was only hitting .181 and hit two home runs in his last 15 games before being placed on the IL.

The 27-year-old would go 2-for-3 with his homer to start, as Chisholm put it, his season over again.

“I pictured 3-for-3 but I’ll take 2-for-3,” Chisholm said with a chuckle. “Every day sitting on that bench, you’re thinking about coming back, especially -- I didn’t have the best start. But at the same time, coming back, starting strong and starting the season over. Starting everything over… you don’t focus on what happened before. This is how I wanted to start my comeback.”

Since Chisholm went on the IL on April 29, the Yankees kept chugging along, going 17-9 in the month of May while using a revolving door of infielders to play second and third after Oswaldo Cabrera's ankle injury.

With Cabrera out for the season, Boone asked Chisholm to return to playing third, a request the infielder obliged. When he was rehabbing with Double-A Somerset, Chisholm said he was willing to do anything to help the Yankees win a championship, and he echoed that after his return on Tuesday.

"I just want to win. I want a ring. We have a lot of great guys in here, and I've really valued teamwork my whole career,” he said. “All I think about is being a team guy, and I did it in Miami where I moved from second base and went and played center field. Came over here, didn't play second base, played third base. Started off the season this year at second base, went back to third base again.

"So for me, it's just I want to win. I want to help my team win, and it's my favorite organization I've ever been a part of, so I definitely want to help."

Chisholm says changing positions is more mental than anything else, but he praised his teammates for always being there for him on the field -- like how Paul Goldschmidt made a great pick at first base to pick up Chisholm's throw -- and off the field.

“Mentally [it’s difficult], but that’s what you have these guys here for. You got [Aaron] Judge, [Anthony] Volpe. They come and talk to you,” Chisholm said. “When you have such a good relationship with the manager, you don’t mind doing anything for a guy you have a good friendship with.”

Chisholm made 45 regular season starts at third base last year and said he didn't think he would play there again. But he's ready to restart.

"I really thought I was done at third base. I thought I left my career over there with a good stamp," he said. "But I guess we’re back again. We gotta shine again. Can’t let the reputation go down at third base.”

Jazz Chisholm Jr. returned from the IL with a bang, hitting a go-ahead home run in the Yankees' 3-2 win over the Guardians on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.

Chisholm Jr. played his first game since April, starting at third base and delivering two hits.

Here are the takeaways...

-The Yankees' offense was befuddled by Tanner Bibee for the first part of the game, being no-hit into the fifth inning. Chisholm Jr. broke the no-no with a bloop single. But Chisholm's dynamic speed would prove a good addition for the Yankees, as a J.C. Escarra walk put Jazz into scoring position when DJ LeMahieu singled to plate the game's first run.

After Trent Grisham reached on an error to load the bases with two outs, Ben Rice grounded out to end the threat.

Chisholm wasn't done impacting this game, however. He would hit a leadoff homer in the seventh to put the Yanks back on top, 2-1. Anthony Volpe followed with a solo shot of his own, the seventh of the shortstop's season.

-There wasn't much offense to speak of in this one. The Yankees mustered just five hits and two walks against Guardians pitching. Aaron Judge finished 0-for-2 with two walks, dropping his average to .387.

-Carlos Rodon continued his hot stretch of starts on Tuesday. After allowing a first-inning single to Jose Ramirez that put him trouble, the southpaw retired 17 straight Guardians. Ramirez broke Rodon's streak with a leadoff single in the seventh and came around to score after stealing second and reaching home on a David Fry single. It broke a streak of 20 straight scoreless innings from Rodon.

Despite some hard contact and shoddy defense, Rodon pitched out of trouble in the seventh to keep the score tied 1-1.

Rodon finished with 93 pitches (64 strikes) through seven innings, allowing one run on five hits and one walk while striking out eight.

-With Luke Weaver on the IL, the shortened bullpen was tested, but passed. Mark Leiter Jr. bounced back from his bad outing in Los Angeles to pitch a scoreless eighth inning, and Devin Williams was called upon to pitch the ninth. He allowed a one-out double and the runner to score on a two-out single by pinch-hitter Daniel Schneemann. After a mound visit from pitching coach Matt Blake, Williams bounced back to get Bo Naylor to fly out and close his sixth game of the season.

The Guardians made Williams work, making him throw 30 pitches thanks to a ton of foul balls.

Game MVP: Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Chisholm's prints were all over this game. He was the only Yankee to have multiple hits, and his homer put the team ahead for good. He also played a solid third base in his first start at the hot corner since last season.

Highlights

Carlos Rodòn with a couple of Ks to escape trouble in the first pic.twitter.com/7wEH0wswyd

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 3, 2025

Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s first hit off the IL is the Yankees’ first of the game off Tanner Bibee pic.twitter.com/eeQ3Sc8PXw

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 4, 2025

DJ LeMahieu opens up the scoring in the 5th! pic.twitter.com/mrve6aIG0Q

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 4, 2025

WELCOME BACK JAZZ CHISHOLM JR.!

Solo shot for the lead! pic.twitter.com/Uh6bJYEIvN

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 4, 2025

Anthony Volpe back-to-back with Jazz Chisholm Jr.! pic.twitter.com/zFy69uwOvk

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 4, 2025

What's next

The Yankees and Guardians continue their three-game set on Wednesday night. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.

Clarke Schmidt (2-2, 3.95 ERA) will take the mound, while the Guardians will have Luis L. Ortiz (2-6, 4.40 ERA) on the bump.

Mets right-hander Frankie Montas had his rehab assignment transferred to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday, and his time on the mound hours later didn't go exactly according to plan.

Working his way back from a months-long lat strain, Montas took a beating against the Blue Jays' affiliate, allowing five runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out four. While he reached 61 pitches (43 strikes) and stretched out to four-plus innings of work, half of the hits were home runs and three were even to the same player, Will Robertson.

Montas looked much sharper last Thursday in his second rehab start for High-A Brooklyn. In that outing, the 32-year-old allowed two runs on two hits and two walks while fanning three across three frames. He also threw 49 pitches (28 strikes).

Of course, Tuesday's pitching line wasn't pretty. But the good news is that Montas completed the assignment, and barring some setback, he might need only one more rehab appearance before rejoining the Mets' active roster within the next week or so.

Shortly after Montas' exit on Tuesday, top prospect Nolan McLean entered in relief, striking out six across four innings of two-run ball (72 pitches). His season ERA now sits at 2.63.

Nolan McLean struck out six in four innings out of the bullpen for Triple-A Syracuse tonight.

His final line: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (72 pitches) pic.twitter.com/2C5q8Z3QmK

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 4, 2025

The Mets have made a flurry of roster moves to accommodate the promotion of Ronny Mauricio, and one of them is an unfortunate one.

New York officially placed Mark Vientos on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain he suffered in Monday's extra-innings win against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

Before Tuesday's game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said the severity of Vientos' strain is still unknown, and he's flying back to New York for further testing and imaging.

"We don't know [the severity]," Mendoza said. "But based off of all the testing he went through last night, we know it's a strain. We've just got to wait and see."

Vientos hit a grounder in the 10th inning and collapsed running up the first base line before getting up and grabbing at his leg. He eventually hobbled back to the dugout. After the game, Vientos was checked out by the team trainers and Mendoza said the injury "didn't look good."

Mauricio will take Vientos' spot on the bench and wear No. 10.

In addition to the Mauricio/Vientos news, the Mets optioned RHP Max Kranick back to Triple-A Syracuse following last night's game. The reliever allowed one run on one hit in his inning of work on Monday while striking out two. With no days off until Monday, the Mets needed another fresh reliever and Kranick has options -- so, he was brought back down to the minors, for now.

Kranick has pitched to a 3.51 ERA in his 22 appearances this season.

"He's been a huge part of that bullpen, and that's part of the messaging," Mendoza said of Kranick. "You know, 'This is part of the business, you've got options. Just know you're a big part of this team. Go down there and work on the things you've been working on, and you're going to be back.' That was the message. He understood. He took it hard, but he understood. You have to understand they're competitors."

Replacing Kranick in the bullpen will be LHP Brandon Waddell, who returns to the team after pitching against the White Sox last week. In that series finale, the 31-year-old allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk in five innings of work. While not his best outing, Waddell's innings gave the Mets' bullpen a blow heading into their weekend series with the Rockies, a series they ultimately swept.

In Waddell's two games with the Mets this season, he has pitched to a 3.86 ERA and struck out seven in 9.1 innings of work.

Also on the pitching front, RHP Frankie Montas' rehab assignment was transferred to Triple-A. He will start Tuesday's game with the Syracuse Mets.

Former Yomiuri Giants player and manager Shigeo Nagashima, one of the biggest stars of Nippon Professional Baseball, died early Tuesday morning of pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital, his former team said in a statement. He was 89.

Nagashima played third base for the Giants from 1958 to 1974. Along with fellow superstar first baseman Sadaharu Oh, Nagashima led the team to 11 Japan Series titles, including nine straight from 1965 to 1973. He retired with a .305 batting average, 2,471 hits, 1,522 RBIs and 444 home runs.

He was one of Japan's biggest celebrities, so much so that his 1965 marriage to Akiko Nishimura was nationally televised and was reportedly the country's most-watched program of the year.

In 1975, Nagashima became the Giants' manager but was fired in 1980 after not leading the team to a Japan Series title. He returned as manager from 1993 to 2001, however, and led the Giants to championships in 1994 and 2000, with future MLB outfielder Hideki Matsui as his star player.

Read more:John Brenkus, risk-taking host of 'Sport Science,' dies after battle with depression

Current Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani took to Instagram on Tuesday to honor Nagashima. He posted three pictures of the two of them together, including two from the Dodgers' trip to Tokyo in February for two games against the Chicago Cubs.

“May your soul rest in peace,” Ohtani wrote in Japanese.

Nagashima could have become the first Japanese MLB player, and he could have done so as a member of the Dodgers. In the spring of 1961, the Yomiuri Giants visited Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Fla., to train and play exhibition games.

Then-Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley is said to have been so impressed with Nagashima — who in the previous season had won the second of what would be six straight batting crowns in Nippon's Central League — that he offered to buy Nagashima's contract from Giants owner Matsutaro Shoriki.

Shoriki turned O'Malley down, and pitcher Masanori Murakami ended up becoming the first Japanese MLB player when he debuted with the San Francisco Giants in 1965. Chicago White Sox owner Bill Veeck also attempted to purchase Nagashima's contract in 1968 but also was thwarted by Shoriki.

Nagashima maintained a close relationship with the Dodgers and the O'Malley family, particularly with Walter's son Peter, according to Walter O'Malley's website.

The Dodgers posted a tribute to Nagashima on X, featuring a photo of the 1988 Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame inductee with legendary Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda.

The Dodgers mourn the passing of Shigeo Nagashima, Japan’s “Mr. Baseball,” who died Tuesday in Tokyo at age 89. Nagashima became a legend for the Yomiuri Giants, who have enjoyed a longstanding relationship with the Dodgers from as far back as the 1960s. We extend our heartfelt… pic.twitter.com/QIZQgwEmxb

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 3, 2025

"The Dodgers mourn the passing of Shigeo Nagashima, Japan’s 'Mr. Baseball,' who died Tuesday in Tokyo at age 89," the team wrote. "Nagashima became a legend for the Yomiuri Giants, who have enjoyed a longstanding relationship with the Dodgers from as far back as the 1960s. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and generations of fans."

Nagashima's wife, Akiko, died in 2007. They had four children, including oldest son Kazushige, a former professional baseball player who played for the Yomiuri Giants and Yakult Swallows in Japan, as well as 53 games for the Class A-Advanced Vero Beach Dodgers minor league affiliate in 1992.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.