NEW YORK — Jazz Chisholm Jr. picked the perfect moment to get hot. He homered to beat the Dodgers on Sunday, then hit two more Monday and drove in five in a win over the Pirates.
Three home runs in two nights. A five-RBI eruption. The kind of stretch that usually quiets any doubt about a player’s spot.
For Chisholm, it has not.
Even as his bat came alive, the conversation around him this week has drifted somewhere uncomfortable, toward whether the Yankees should be looking for someone to take his job.
With the Aug. 3 trade deadline nearing, the Yankees are searching for a middle infielder, and reporting this week made clear that Chisholm’s grip on second base is not as secure as his recent power suggests. A separate push from a team insider argues the Yankees should cut into his playing time even without a trade.
A report that put Chisholm on notice
The New York Post’s Joel Sherman reported that the Yankees are hunting a middle infielder before the deadline. While the obvious target is a shortstop upgrade over Anthony Volpe, Sherman noted Chisholm is not necessarily safe either.
The name drawing the most attention is Washington’s CJ Abrams, a dynamic shortstop having one of his best seasons. Landing a middle infielder of that caliber would let the Yankees reshuffle the position, pushing Chisholm into a more flexible role or, in a bolder scenario, out the door in the right deal.
His uneven season has fed the speculation. He has already lost time this year to a concussion protocol stint after an outfield collision and to toe discomfort, on top of long cold stretches at the plate.
The Yankees have publicly emphasized catcher and bullpen upgrades, both real needs. But the middle-infield chatter has grown louder, and Chisholm’s health and inconsistency have kept his name in it.
The infield picture is tangled beyond Chisholm alone. Volpe has his own injury history, Caballero has filled in capably, and top prospect George Lombard Jr. is on the horizon but may not be ready for an everyday role in a pennant race. A premium addition would force the Yankees to decide who slides where, and Chisholm is one of the pieces most likely to move.
The platoon case against a struggling bat
The most pointed argument comes from The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty, who contends the Yankees should scale back Chisholm’s role against left-handed pitching.
Kuty laid out numbers that expose a specific, glaring weakness. The problem is not Chisholm’s bat overall, but what it does against lefties.
“Jazz Chisholm Jr. has just a 74 wRC+ versus lefties this year, the third worst among Yankees regulars (Ryan McMahon, 57 wRC+; Austin Wells, 8 wRC+) and the worst among Yankees regulars who don’t have a platoon partner,” Kuty wrote. “It might be time to give Chisholm’s plate appearances versus lefties to someone else. The Yankees have options.”
Kuty pointed to two internal replacements for those at-bats, one a surprise bat, the other a glove-first infielder.
“They seem to like Schuemann, who has a 158 wRC+ in 32 plate appearances versus southpaws,” Kuty wrote. “They could also platoon Chisholm with Jose Caballero, who’s a good defender at second base and has a career 109 wRC+ versus lefties.”
The alternatives are imperfect. Caballero’s mark against lefties has dipped to an 82 wRC+ this year, and the Yankees do not appear eager to move Volpe off shortstop, though he has worked out at second base in recent games. Calling up Lombard, Kuty noted, is likely still too soon.
Pride, a contract year and a fading window
The complication is human, not just statistical. Chisholm, 28, is in a contract year, and a demotion to platoon duty would sting his value heading into free agency.
Kuty acknowledged the awkwardness directly, weighing Chisholm’s pride and recent track record against the cold logic of the matchups.
“The 28-year-old is in a contract year, and it would be a rough look for him going into free agency, and he knows that,” Kuty wrote. “Plus, Chisholm has pride, as he should, and it was just last season that he was plenty productive versus lefties.”
Chisholm posted a 106 wRC+ against left-handers a year ago, so the skill is not far in the past. Kuty framed the question as one of patience running out, not of missing talent.
“The talent is there to hit lefties, but the Yankees would be fair to ask whether he’s run out of time to prove it,” Kuty wrote.
Chisholm knows the numbers
The infielder has not hidden from his season. After the win over the Dodgers, he delivered a blunt self-assessment that captured why the questions persist even during a hot streak.
“I’ve sucked all season,” Chisholm said. “The numbers speak for themselves.”
The surge nudged his line to .228 with 16 home runs and 43 RBIs, still short of the standard he set in a 30-30 season a year ago. His late-game power has been real, but the vs.-lefties hole remains the number that worries the front office.
For now, the Yankees do not appear set to bench Chisholm or hand his at-bats to Volpe or anyone else. The team is 56-44 and chasing in the AL East, and how it addresses the middle infield may decide whether Chisholm’s recent tear buys him time or merely delays a harder call.
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