ATLANTA — Major League Baseball is investigating Atlanta Braves assistant coach Eddie Pérez’s actions after he pointed to his head during Saturday night’s game while jawing with New York Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., a league source told The Athletic.
Pérez was upset that Chisholm was relaying signs from second base while shortstop Anthony Volpe was hitting in the sixth inning. Volpe hit a sacrifice fly to the warning track after Chisholm tipped off his teammate that a fastball was coming from Braves reliever Rafael Montero. MLB.com reported that Pérez was telling Chisholm to think about his actions; the Yankees believed the Braves coach may have been threatening Chisholm with getting plunked by a pitch.
“I just wanted him to be smart, that’s all it was,” Pérez told The Athletic after the game. “Use his head. I have a lot of respect for that guy, I like him, but I guess he didn’t like what I had to say and got upset with me. It wasn’t threatening. I just wanted him to play smart out there.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr. was jawing with Braves coach Eddie Perez
Yankees broadcasters Michael Kay and Joe Girardi believe Perez was threatening to have Jazz hit in the head pic.twitter.com/Se7KU4tY5U
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 20, 2025
“I hope it didn’t (have to do with throwing at his head), because obviously there’s no place for that,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday morning at Truist Park. “That’s certainly something that would not be OK. I hope he didn’t mean anything like that by it, because that would deserve some looking into.”
This is the second time this month the Yankees have been caught relaying signs from second base. It’s legal to relay signs if it’s done so without the use of electronic communications. The Yankees caught Seattle Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz tipping his slider in a comeback win earlier this month.
“Look, every team now, from the start of the year to the end, you’re trying to find little advantages out there,” Boone said. “You’re trying to find little ways to help you win a ballgame. So that’s all within the parameters of the rules.
“Every team we play against is no different, and we’re not, either. You’re constantly trying to find advantages where you can and where they present themselves in a certain game, and that’s all good.”
Chisholm gave a “no comment” when asked for his thoughts on the incident between himself and Pérez.
The Athletic’s David O’Brien contributed reporting to this story.
(Photo: Brett Davis / Imagn Images)
Chris Kirschner is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the New York Yankees. He previously covered the Atlanta Hawks from 2018-2022 for The Athletic. Chris was named Georgia’s Sportswriter of the Year in 2021 for his work covering the Hawks. Chris is a native of Bronx, NY. Follow Chris on Twitter @chriskirschner
