Jazz

Chisholm Jr.

Chisholm was 2-for-19 this spring before delivering a single and a 400-foot blast in his first two at-bats today. He was back in the third spot in the lineup in this one after leading off last night. The guess here is that he’ll probably lead off against righties initially, but it seems like Aaron Boone is still trying to figure out what would work best around Aaron Judge in the second spot. While Chisholm does run like a leadoff man, his career .311 OBP and .446 slugging percentage is more like what one would expect from a No. 5 hitter.

We’re not going to overreact to small sample sizes in spring training, but Chisholm has gotten off to a frosty start in Grapefruit League play, batting .105 (2-for-19) through eight contests. The dynamic 27-year-old will open the regular season at second base and figures to lead off as New York’s primary table-setter. He’s a top-five second baseman for fantasy purposes this spring.

Boone also added that he envisions Cody Bellinger in center field with top prospect Jasson Domínguez in left field. Chisholm played third base last season for New York after coming over from the Marlins at the trade deadline, but he obviously has plenty of experience at the keystone from earlier in his career with Miami. He’s the logical solution for the Yankees following the departure of Gleyber Torres to Detroit and the club’s decision to ship Caleb Durbin to Milwaukee in the Devin Williams trade. The electrifying 26-year-old is one of the more dynamic power-speed combo contributors in the fantasy landscape and slots in as a top five option at second base.

The dynamic 26-year-old had been projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $6.9 million via arbitration, so it appears as though the Yankees got a nice discount here. Chisholm lit the world on fire after joining the Yankees in a deadline deal in 2024, slashing .273/.325/.500 with 11 homers, 23 RBI and 18 stolen bases in just 46 games with the Bombers’. Expect him to be a second round selection in most fantasy drafts this March.

There are a lot of moving parts here, but the biggest takeaway from Gleyber Torres hitting free agency is that New York could wind up shifting Chisholm back across the infield to his former defensive home if they’re unable to bring back Torres or find a suitable everyday option over the course of the offseason. The dynamic 26-year-old performed admirably in his first-ever professional stint at the hot corner and it’s possible he’ll wind up picking up second base eligibility for fantasy purposes next year.

The Yankees are splitting up the struggling Aaron Judge — who is still hitting third, despite his issues — by putting Chisholm Jr. between the two sluggers. The full lineup as the Yankees look to keep this series going: 2B Gleyber Torres, RF Juan Soto, CF Judge, 3B Chisholm Jr., DH Stanton, 1B Anthony Rizzo, SS Anthony Volpe, C Austin Wells and LF Alex Verdugo behind Luis Gil.

Chisholm Jr. stole second off Anthony Banda in the sixth. He really showed off his wheels in the 10th, as he singled, stole second, stole third and came around to score on an infield single by Anthony Volpe that gave New York a 3-2 lead. It looked like that would be the game-winning run, but the Freddie Freeman and the Dodgers had other plans. Chisholm will look to keep up the good work but on the winning side in Game 2 against the Dodgers on Saturday.

Chisholm Jr. put the Yankees on the scoreboard with a solo homer off Mike Burrows in the fifth inning. He later doubled in the eighth to score a run and bring the Yankees to within two. The 26-year-old has had his best season as a pro, hitting .256/.324/.436 with 23 homers, 74 runs scored, 73 RBI, and 40 steals across 621 plate appearances.

With two men on base in the 11th inning, Chisholm Jr.'s RBI single gave the Yankees a walkoff win against the Royals. It was the first walkoff hit of any kind in his career. Chisholm Jr. is hitting .261 with a .772 OPS and 66 RBI on the year. Fantasy managers love him for his 22 home runs and 35 stolen bases.

Chisholm is up to a career-high 34 thefts this season, with a dozen of those coming in just 28 contests since arriving in New York back at the trade deadline. His game-changing speed has brought a dynamic element to the Yankees’ lineup and it has him poised to enter next season as a consensus early-round pick in all fantasy drafts.