Yankees fans, you can breathe easy—Jazz Chisholm Jr. wasn't breaking any rules. The viral moment that had everyone questioning whether the infielder was sporting an AirPod during a game was actually just a clever (and necessary) solution to a painful problem.

Chisholm confirmed Friday that the small object spotted in his ear was a piece of cotton, not an earbud. The reason? A ground ball took a nasty hop and deflected into his ear during Monday's game, leaving him with a persistent ringing sensation. "It gave me an ear ache for like three or four days," Chisholm told The Athletic. "My right ear was ringing for like three days."

The cotton was simply a way to muffle the sound and find some relief—a far cry from the tech-fueled conspiracy theories that lit up social media. Chisholm himself dismissed the idea that he'd try to sneak an AirPod onto the field. "I think no umpire would let it go through. No coach would let that happen," he said. "You would have seen a phone in my back pocket or something. AirPods don't reach that far."

Despite the ear issue, Chisholm didn't miss any games. And while his season started slow—hitting just .205/.288/.330 through 31 games—he's found his groove lately, going 7 for 31 (.290) with three home runs in his last eight contests. That's the kind of bounce-back that keeps the Yankees' engine humming.

Speaking of which, New York is rolling. Friday's 7-2 win over the Orioles pushed them to 21-11, giving them the American League's best record and best run differential. With Chisholm's bat heating up and no AirPods in sight, the Bombers are looking dangerous.