Jazz Chisholm Jr. is returning to his natural position.
After starting 28 games in a row at third base, the two-time All-Star is moving back to second, where he began the season, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone told the “Talkin’ Yanks” podcast on Tuesday.
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That change starts Tuesday, when the Yankees host the Seattle Mariners in the opener of a three-game series.
“He’s playing second tonight,” Boone said of Chisholm, who has been dealing with right-shoulder soreness when throwing recently.
When asked if that is where Chisholm will play going forward, Boone answered, “Yeah, I think so. We’ll continue to work through it. Again, depending on all the moving parts and things that could possibly happen, but I think right now, I want to move him back over there.”
Boone said utilityman Oswald Peraza will play third Tuesday against the Mariners, but the eighth-year Yankees manager described his approach to third base as “fluid.” While Chisholm has been playing third, veteran DJ LeMahieu has served as the team’s primary second baseman since returning from a calf injury.
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Chisholm was named an infield reserve for this year’s All-Star Game. He’s currently slashing .245/.341/.500 with 15 home runs, 38 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 59 games.
Chisholm told The Athletic earlier this month that he “only worked at second base” in his offseason drills.
“Everybody knows I’m a second baseman,” Chisholm said at the time, via The Athletic. “Of course I want to play second base, but whatever it takes to help the team win. If that’s what the team chooses, that’s what I gotta do. I don’t write the lineups. You feel me?
“I’m playing every day, so it’s hard to be upset. Yes, I know I’m a second baseman. Yes, I know I’m better at second base, but at the end of the day, I still have to play third. I just have to deal with it.”
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Chisholm’s plus-3 outs above average in 251 innings at second base are significantly better than his minus-3 outs above average in 238 innings at third.
He played third base for the Yankees last season after he was traded at the deadline by the Miami Marlins. Even though Chisholm hadn’t played third before, he gave it a go while Gleyber Torres was reluctant to move from second base.
Chisholm’s move to third this season happened after he was on in the injured list in May due to an oblique strain. During Chisholm’s absence, Yankees primary third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera suffered a season-ending ankle injury.
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LeMahieu, 36, is batting .266 this season with two homers and 12 RBI. Meanwhile, Peraza offers great infield versatility, having already scattered 38 starts across third (25), second (10) and shortstop (3) this season.
Boone’s infield change comes on the heels of New York snapping a six-game losing streak. The Yankees, now 49-41, no longer have control of the AL East, as they trail the red-hot Toronto Blue Jays by 3.5 games.
