Jazz Chisholm relishes action-packed Yankees debut

BOSTON — For a few seconds in the eighth inning Sunday night, the Yankees were left holding their breath. 

Jazz Chisholm Jr., in his first game as a Yankee after being traded from the Marlins on Saturday, took an inadvertent elbow to the jaw while rounding second base and hit the deck in pain. 

With Chisholm sprawled out on the dirt, manager Aaron Boone and a trainer went to check on him, though he remained in the game.

A few seconds later, he swiped third base no worse for wear and then scored on a sacrifice fly to cap off the Yankees’ 8-2 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. 

After arriving at the ballpark roughly an hour before first pitch because of plane issues and traffic in the city, Chisholm started in center field and batted fifth while relishing his first game with his new team. 

“It was super exciting,” Chisholm said after a hectic 24 hours which included getting a congratulatory text from the prime minister of his native Bahamas. “Every kid dreams of being a Yankee. It’s the most famous team in baseball that Derek Jeter played on. Everybody’s favorite player was Derek Jeter growing up. I had him as an owner [with the Marlins]. So I just feel like it was only right to come over and put on the uniform.” 

Up next for Chisholm: a position change. 

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. But the Yankees believe he is athletic and talented enough to handle the position of need. 

“For me, it’s going somewhere — especially as a winning team and they’re asking me to go somewhere to help them win, I’m definitely going to go out there and do it,” Chisholm said. “I feel like I’m a really good infielder, so I just got to go over there and catch the ball.” 

Manager Aaron Boone was excited about Chisholm being open to third base. 

“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,” Boone said. “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.” 

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 did not seem thrilled about the idea of playing third — “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 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.