The New York Yankees are playing with fire—and not the good kind—by keeping Jazz Chisholm Jr. at third base.
There’s no hiding Chisholm’s discomfort on the hot corner, and his recent defensive lapses only underline the issue.
Chisholm hasn’t been shy about his preference. He wants to play second base, the position he’s most natural at.
But DJ LeMahieu’s presence there, and the Yankees’ reluctance to move him, continues to block that alignment.
Chisholm’s range and instincts were molded for second. At third base, he’s playing out of position—and it’s showing.
On Tuesday, he misplayed a soft roller in a tight game against Toronto. That single moment sparked a four-run rally.
A clean scoop there ends the inning. Instead, it swung the momentum—and the scoreboard—out of the Yankees’ favor.
Wednesday brought more trouble. Chisholm committed his seventh throwing error of the season, further exposing the mismatch.
Meanwhile, LeMahieu failed to snag a tough liner up the middle—something Chisholm may have reached.
That moment, while subtle, hinted at the larger issue: the Yankees are not optimizing their defensive potential.
Aaron Boone’s Veteran Bias Resurfaces Again
Manager Aaron Boone initially left the door open to repositioning Chisholm and LeMahieu—but now seems hesitant.
“We’ll let it play out,” Boone told the New York Post, a line that’s become painfully familiar to Yankees fans.
The underlying issue isn’t just positional. It’s the team’s stubborn commitment to veterans, even when evidence says otherwise.
Boone’s long-standing loyalty to established players has backfired before, whether by giving them too much playing time or defensive trust.
Now, it’s manifesting again in how Chisholm is being handled—not as a strength, but as a square peg in a round hole.
The irony? LeMahieu’s resume includes third base duties, and he’s far more competent there than Chisholm is.
The solution seems obvious: shift LeMahieu to third and let Chisholm roam freely at second, where he thrives.
Yankees’ Infield Needs More Than Just a Simple Swap
Even with a position swap, the Yankees still face a larger question: why isn’t there a true third baseman on this roster?
LeMahieu, once a batting champ, no longer has the offensive or defensive consistency to justify his everyday role.
If New York is serious about chasing a title, bench depth and defensive alignment can’t be optional—they’re foundational.
Baseball, after all, is often a game of inches—and misplays in key moments are like missed turns on a racetrack.
One mistake here. One rally there. Suddenly, you’re five games back instead of one up in the standings.
It’s easy to look at batting averages and exit velocities, but the real damage sometimes starts with defensive negligence.
And right now, the Yankees are letting that damage quietly snowball by refusing to put their players where they belong.
A Ticking Clock on a Fixable Problem
It’s not too late. A simple switch could reawaken Chisholm’s confidence and stabilize the infield immediately.
LeMahieu, though declining, can still offer value—just not at the expense of forcing others out of their natural roles.
For a team with championship aspirations, the Yankees can’t afford to let loyalty outweigh logic for much longer.
Jazz Chisholm isn’t just another utility player—he’s an athletic spark plug who needs to be used properly to ignite results.
And if they’re not careful, the Yankees may find themselves burning through wins because they refused to adjust the alignment.