Credit: Dave Nelson-Imagn Images

Where will Yankees play Jazz Chisholm Jr. in 2025?

2B or 3B?

Credit: Dave Nelson-Imagn Images

Players don’t like switching positions. We’ve seen that over and over again. Gleyber Torres made it clear last season – he’s a second baseman. Rafael Devers flat-out refused to play third anymore before the Red Sox moved him across the diamond. It’s just how things work sometimes. But Jazz Chisholm Jr. was different.

When the Yankees swung a blockbuster deal to bring him to the Bronx, he didn’t push back when told he might have to learn third base. This was a guy who had already bounced around the infield and outfield. Shortstop, second base, center field, he’d done it all. And now, in the middle of a playoff push, they asked him to take on a position he’d never played before. And he did it.

To be clear, I won’t go so far as to say that every player should be willing to switch positions for the sake of the team. Yes, winning is the end goal, but this is the cutthroat world of baseball and business. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is the perfect example – traditionally an infielder, he moved to the outfield for the team, got injured, was labeled injury-prone, and then had that used against him in arbitration hearings.

So whether it’s arbitration or free agency, a player is more than justified in wanting to stick to his preferred position.

Back to Jazz.

I like what I like 💌 pic.twitter.com/BmRb5NPEDz
— Jazz Chisholm Jr (@j_chisholm3) February 18, 2025

When the Yankees acquired him, their infield situation was far from settled.

The only two locked-in spots were second base and shortstop (Gleyber Torres and Anthony Volpe). DJ LeMahieu and Anthony Rizzo were battling injuries and inconsistency, Ben Rice was hot and cold, and Oswaldo Cabrera was filling a utility role. Brian Cashman brought Jazz Chisholm Jr. into the infield mix with the idea of moving Gleyber Torres to second base, and Jazz to third.

After Jazz landed in the Big Apple, when Gleyber Torres was asked about potentially moving to third base as Cashman had planned, he made his stance clear: “I’m a second baseman. I play second.”

Cashman later said:

“When I acquired Jazz, I acquired Jazz to be our second baseman and move Gleyber [Torres] to third the rest of last year. [Manager Aaron Boone] wanted to do it the other way. He moved Jazz to third after we got him and kept Gleyber at second because Gleyber didn’t want to move to third and was unwilling.”

Adding to this problem, Gleyber Torres was visibly not a large defensive asset at second base, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. had never played third base. Yet, ultimately, in 2024, he started 45 games at the hot corner for the Yankees and, for a first-timer, was solid – grading out well metrically with eight outs above average.

So, where will Jazz Chisholm Jr. play in 2025?

If Jazz Chisholm isn’t the long-term solution as a second baseman, who is? The Yankees have a few other options at second and third, but none are perfect, far from it rather. DJ LeMahieu, Oswald Peraza, and Oswaldo Cabrera could all contribute at second or third, but confidence in them remains shaky.

LeMahieu, a two-time batting champion, hasn’t been the same hitter in recent years, largely due to injuries. While his defense is still reliable, the Yankees can’t afford to bank on him defensively if his bat continues to decline. Peraza is an exciting young talent, but his inconsistency at the plate makes him a risky everyday option. Cabrera offers switch-hitting versatility but has yet to establish himself offensively.

What does Aaron Boone think?

Boone doesn’t want Chisholm shifting around this season. The Yankees manager plans to move him back to second base in 2025, though he hasn’t ruled out a return to third.

Boone said he does not want to bounce Jazz back and forth between 2B and 3B during the season. But this spring he’ll take occasional reps at 3B to keep it in play depending on how roster shakes out.
— Greg Joyce (@GJoyce9) February 18, 2025

“I don’t want to get into bouncing him back and forth. But once we settle on what we’re doing [with the roster], then I’ll make that final call. But I just felt like him going to second, keeping the [Oswaldo] Cabrera, DJ [LeMahieu], [Oswald] Peraza, [Jorbit] Vivas, whoever else you want to throw in that mix, I felt like made more sense hashing it out at third.”

So, if Aaron Boone sticks to his plan, Jazz Chisholm will be locked in at second. Anthony Volpe has held shortstop for three seasons, and first base looks like a platoon between Paul Goldschmidt and Ben Rice.

ALSO READ: Aaron Judge Reveals WBC Intentions

And as I reach the end of this piece, I suddenly feel like this infield might be better than it actually is. Or maybe that’s just my delusional optimism talking…

Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Yankees

Mohsin Baldiwala

mlb

Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.