Yankees’ worst offensive nightmare now has a Jazz Chisholm twist

When the New York Yankees embarked upon their 2025 offseason, they knew they were short of options in the infield. GM Brian Cashman's original assessment was that Jazz Chisholm could be a part of the solution at either second or third base. The idea being that the spot he didn't fill would be allowed to be the infield's weak link.

Ultimately, the Yankees chose to allow Chisholm to move back to second base after playing most of his innings down the stretch of the 2024 campaign at the hot corner. The hope was that the flamboyant infielder would see his offensive production increase after moving back to his natural position. The extra months of settling in to the cauldron that is the New York media market was also expected to pay dividends.

Things have not gone according to plan for the 27-year-old infielder through his first 24 games of the season. He started the year with an excellent open series against the Brewers. His performance in the last 21 contests has marked him as one of the least productive starting hitters in all of baseball.

The Yankees are striking out too much, especially Jazz Chisholm

Chisholm's biggest issue at the plate this year has been his inability to produce consistent contact. He's already struck out 31 times in just 88 plate appearances. Those numbers line up very well with how Chisholm's at-bats have looked over the last few weeks. It's not as if he is narrowly missing pitches. Many of his swings look wild and do not come anywhere near making solid contact.

His personal numbers are one of the reasons the Yankees have struck out more than all but two teams so far this season, and are going down on strikes in roughly a quarter of their plate appearances. Everyone needs to make more contact, but especially Chisholm.

The one silver lining to Chisholm's dark cloud this year is that he has managed to mash seven home runs already. That's reflective of his boom or bust style at the plate. Despite his struggles, Chisholm has not shown any sign of changing his approach at the plate. He continues to engage opposing pitchers in attack mode at every opportunity.

Interestingly, Chisholm's overall statistical profile paints a more positive picture of his contribution to the Yankees on the young season. Posting a WAR of 0.9 isn't going to earn him a spot in Monument Park, but it does show that he's giving his team some measure of positive value. For the purposes of comparison, his WAR is exactly the same as his middle infield partner Anthony Volpe at this stage of the campaign.

In fairness to Cashman and manager Aaron Boone, there is not a ton they can do to alter their fortunes at second base. Obviously, they will continue to work with Chisholm to refine his approach and make tactical tweaks that might improve his production. What they don't have the ability to do is to make a change at second base that might provide the offense with an immediate jolt of energy and production.

Some fans might believe the possible return of DJ LeMahieu to the active roster could contradict that statement. The chances of him coming back and being a positive player for New York are remote. He was putrid last season at the plate and has clearly lost a step on defense. Any small chance he has of resurrecting his career likely lies at a corner infield spot as a result.

Oswald Peraza is an even better defender at second than Chisholm, but he's a non-factor at the plate. He will be used by Boone to give guys rest during the marathon of the regular season, but any role larger than that would turn him into a liability. A few years ago, he looked like a potential star. Now it's apparent that Peraza will be hard-pressed to stick with the franchise over the long haul.

If Chisholm continues to struggle as the trade deadline approaches, then it could put the Yankees in a difficult spot. Having one light hitting infielder is something that can be overcome with roster balance. Trying to make a deep postseason run with two low value bats in one infield could be enough to end New York's hopes of ending their World Series drought.

In other words, Cashman would be forced to hit the trade market looking for help at second and/or third base. It's unlikely the Yankees would be willing to part with the prospects required to fill two such prominent vacancies. Add it all up, and fans in the Bronx just need to hope Chisholm turns things around.