Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Yankees Set to Have an Infield Logjam – Where Will Jazz Chisholm Play?

Where does he play: second or third?

Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Yankees are about to face a good problem. With Jazz Chisholm Jr. nearing a return from the injured list, the infield picture is about to get even more crowded. And the question looming over everything: Does he go back to second base, or return to third, where he held his own last season?

Jazz Chisholm, out since April 30 with a right oblique strain, is set to begin a rehab assignment on Thursday for Double-A Somerset, where he’ll play third base. The position switch is deliberate. Manager Aaron Boone confirmed that the Yankees are giving Chisholm reps at third with a return potentially just a week away.

“We’ll see,” Boone said. “I want him to work over there this week in his games over there. We’ll keep that flexibility and make a decision one way or the other.”

That decision won’t be simple.

Jazz Chisholm at Third, Then Second, Then Maybe Third Again?

When Chisholm was acquired from the Marlins last July, he jumped into an unfamiliar third base role, a position he’d never played as a pro. He made 45 starts, committing seven errors in 400 1/3 innings, posting a .940 fielding percentage and a -2 DRS, per FanGraphs. It wasn’t perfect, but for a midseason transition, it was solid.

Anthony Volpe x Jazz Chisholm Jr. is a thing of beauty.#Yankees pic.twitter.com/S76xVevxfB
— Sam Luckini (@SamLuckiniESM) April 11, 2025

Still, second base has always been Chisholm’s preferred spot. He’s started 185 games there across his career and made no secret of his excitement to return to the middle infield this season, forming a flashy double-play tandem with Anthony Volpe. He even predicted they’d lead the league in double plays turned. But now, the infield shuffle is back on.

Oswaldo’s Out, Peraza’s Struggling, DJ’s … DJ

Oswaldo Cabrera, the Opening Day third baseman, is likely done for the year after suffering a serious ankle injury on May 13. Since then, Oswald Peraza has taken over most of the starts at third. While his glove has made some noise, his bat has been almost silent – he’s hitting just .165 (13-for-81) with 3 homers and 10 RBIs in 35 games.

Peraza can pick it 🙌#RepBX pic.twitter.com/9Qp33J4kEr
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 27, 2025

Then there’s DJ LeMahieu, back from injury himself. LeMahieu has played both second and third but prefers second, and, unsurprisingly, doesn’t seem eager to move off it again. When asked directly if he’d shift to third to make room for Chisholm at second, he didn’t sound enthusiastic.

“I feel really comfortable right now [at second base],” LeMahieu told reporters. “I’m sure we’ll deal with it when we get there.”

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So far, DJ LeMahieu’s production hasn’t made a compelling case. He’s hitting .184 (7-for-38) with one homer and three RBIs in 11 games. After a promising start to his return, the numbers are now looking uncomfortably similar to last season, not exactly the kind of performance that demands accommodation.

What About Jazz Chisholm?

Chisholm, for his part, has remained open-minded. Boone praised his attitude and versatility, but in a recent interview with The Athletic, Chisholm kept it simple when asked about possibly going back to third:

“It’s whatever,” he shrugged. “I already did it.”

If anyone can adjust quickly and athletically, it’s Chisholm, one of the most dynamic players on the roster and by far its most versatile infielder. And with Peraza not hitting, DJ not convincing, and Cabrera sidelined indefinitely, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Yankees pencil Chisholm into the hot corner and ask him to settle things down.

ALSO READ: Carlos Rodon Was Brilliant, Devin Williams Nearly Undid It

One likely roster casualty when Jazz returns: Pablo Reyes, the lightly used utility man.

DJ LeMahieu

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.