Yankees Must Give Versatile Infielder One More Chance to Start

The New York Yankees have to start thinking about other options at second base if Jazz Chisholm Jr. isn't going to figure things out.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) walks in the dugout before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Before facing Dylan Cease, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone mentioned he was going to shake up his lineup. One of those changes involved starting Josè Caballero over Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second base. Who could have thought that this would be the place Chisholm would find himself after such a huge season last year, but his eventual fall to a platoon player could open up opportunities for Caballero.

Caballero's time at shortstop is likely over since George Lombard Jr. has proven himself an important cog in a struggling offense, but that doesn't mean he can't slot into second base. Give Boone credit for putting him in that nine-hole, because he had a productive game, and these days, they need just about anything to get rolling.

Against the Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon, Caballero had a hit, a walk, an RBI, a run, and a stolen base. He was essentially responsible for two of the four runs the Yankees scored.

The first came when Caballero stole third base, and Luis Garcia Jr. drove him in. The next came when he drove in Lombard.

Caballero drives in Lombard Jr. for the lead and Cabby immediately gets caught in a rundown. He is initially ruled safe but the call is overturned after review only allowing one run to score pic.twitter.com/aVgiNzyQKP

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 16, 2026

Chisholm vs. Caballero at this point in the year

It stinks to have to pick on Chisholm, but it's hard to imagine that he would have done what Caballero did. Chisholm obviously has a higher ceiling as far as speed and power go, but outside of that, his big moments this season have been few and far between, and a paltry 90 wRC+ despite 17 home runs and 32 stolen bases has been one of the big reasons this offense has lagged since Aaron Judge went down.

With August nearly complete and September right around the corner, the Yankees can't play a game of starting the player with the higher ceiling. Boone needs to play the hot hand, whoever that is, regardless of what the underlying metrics say or what a player should be projected to do.

The fact is, while Caballero's 94 wRC+ isn't much better than Chisholm's, the Yankees need to be honest with themselves about who they would trust to drive in a run with a runner on third base with less than two outs. If this were 2024 or 2025, that would be an easy answer. It's Chisholm. 2026 is a different story.

New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. 's play has been a mixed bag, which won't cut it at this point in the season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chisholm has a 31% strikeout rate, while Caballero's is 23.9%. With these two having nearly identical wRC+, something as small as who strikes out more in that situation makes a big difference.

Additionally, Chisholm is hitting .263 with a home run, 13 RBI, and an .806 OPS when the Yankees have a runner on third base and less than two outs. However, Caballero is sporting a .333 batting average, with 13 RBI and an .809 OPS.

The season is winding down, and Chisholm hasn't proven himself to be productive in the way the Yankees need him to be. Caballero deserves a shot to see if he can be a difference-maker for this team.

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