Jazz Chisholm Jr. arrived at Fenway Park roughly an hour before first pitch Sunday night, on the precipice of adding a new position on his new team.
The versatile Chisholm started in center field and batted fifth in his club debut against the Red Sox, 24 hours after being traded from the Marlins, but the Yankees plan to introduce him to third base, where he could begin filling a big hole as soon as Monday’s series opener against the Phillies in Philadelphia.
Chisholm, a natural shortstop who has previously moved to second base and center field, has never played third base in his professional career.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. makes his Yankees debut on July 28, 2024.
But the Yankees believe he is athletic and talented enough to handle the position of need.
“I’m excited about his openness to it,” manager Aaron Boone said Sunday before the series finale. “I think it’s something that has been a part of his game and will continue to be a part of his game, that defensive versatility. He’s such a good athlete coming up as a shortstop, has that kind of skill set. Obviously he’s moved out to the outfield, showed the ability to play the middle of the field. We’ll just get to work with him and try to get him set and comfortable.
“But excited to have him. We are a better team today, a better roster today with him here. Excited, and I know he’s really excited to be here too.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr. makes his Yankees debut on July 28, 2024.
Boone said the Yankees will also have Gleyber Torres get pregame work at third base, where has not played since 2018 as a minor leaguer.
But Boone indicated that he would be “reluctant” to move him there as Torres, who has just started hitting over the last few weeks following a brutal start to the year, “understandably” wants to stay at second base.
“When we look up in two weeks, three weeks, four weeks, hopefully we’re in a spot where we’re really comfortable with where guys are on the field,” Boone said. “Jazz has been playing center field now for a while. I feel like maybe a little easier to transition him to a new position than having two guys go to newer positions. But I’m going to be open to a lot of things.”
It is also possible that the Yankees have more moves coming before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline that would allow for a simpler lane for Chisholm’s playing time.
For now, the Yankees need Chisholm — who is under team control through 2026 — to take over third base because DJ LeMahieu has been a shell of himself since returning from a non-displaced foot fracture in late May.
They are also looking for a spark for a lineup that has struggled to produce consistently outside of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.
Those struggles have been particularly been a problem in the leadoff spot, where Chisholm has experience, but Boone said he plans to keep the left-handed hitting Chisholm in the middle of the order at least for now, with Alex Verdugo (against righties) and Torres (against lefties) manning the top spot.
Having Chisholm in the middle of the order, instead of at the top and being on base when Soto and Judge are up, could allow Boone to be more aggressive in giving him the green light to steal bases.
Chisholm, who will wear No. 13 as a Yankee, was 22-for-30 in swiping bases this season with the Marlins.
Jazz Chisholm (L.) greets Aaron Judge in the dugout on July 28, 2024.
In the more immediate future, Boone said he just wanted Chisholm — acquired for prospects Agustin Ramirez, Jared Serna and Abrahan Ramirez — to get settled in his new environment.
But in speaking to the Bahamas native before he arrived in Boston, one thing stood out above the rest.
“He wants to win,” Boone said. “You certainly could hear it in his voice how excited he is to be coming here to have a chance to win and play with the Yankees and play with this team.”
