New York Yankees Have 'Single Best Swiss Army Knife' To Build Lineup Around

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone has some flexibility building lineups with a versatile star.

Mar 1, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees third base Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) warms up before taking on the Houston Astros at George M. Steinbrenner Field. / Dave Nelson-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees have a lot more question marks on their roster with just about a week until Opening Day than they did when they entered spring training.

There isn’t a roster that has been bitten by the injury bug as much as the Yankees, who have lost several key contributors to serious injuries.

On the mound, ace Gerrit Cole is going to miss the entire campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Reigning Rookie of the Year Luis Gil is dealing with a lat strain and will miss multiple months.

In the bullpen, positive updates were provided on Ian Hamilton and Jake Cousins. There is a chance the former is ready for Opening Day, but the latter is working back from a forearm strain.

The New York lineup is also going to be without two projected starters; designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton and third baseman DJ LeMahieu.

Stanton is dealing with painful injuries to both elbows and now has a calf issue as well. LeMahieu made it through two spring training at-bats before suffering a calf injury of his own.

As things currently stand, Ben Rice and Oswaldo Cabrera are expected to handle the lion’s share of playing time in place of Stanton and LeMahieu. Veterans Dominic Smith and Pablo Reyes and former top prospect Oswald Peraza could receive some looks, as well.

Manager Aaron Boone is going to have some difficult decisions to make.

There has been speculation that a rotation could be used at the hot corner if no one seizes the job prior to when LeMahieu makes his way back from the injured list.

While the Yankees would assuredly prefer to keep him at second base, Jazz Chisholm Jr. is a player to keep an eye on for third base as one of the most versatile players in baseball.

“After the first 10 days of the season, Jazz Chisholm Jr. will be the single best Swiss Army knife among American League players. Only Mookie Betts has a better combination of production and positional eligibility than Chisholm, who can be played at second, third or outfield,” wrote Jeff Passan of ESPN (subscription required).

He wrote that blurb in reference to Chisholm’s value to fantasy baseball managers, but New York can benefit from it just as much in real life on the field.

If a player emerges who is worthy of consideration for playing time but is better suited to play second base, the former All-Star can slide back over to the hot corner, where he held his own in 2024 despite never previously playing there.

He hasn’t played shortstop since 2021, but that is another position he has extensive experience with and could slide over to in a pinch.

Regardless of what position he plays on a given day, what they are going to need from Chisholm is the offensive production he showed last year to carry over.

He had a .273/.325/.500 slash line in 191 regular season plate appearances in pinstripes, hitting 11 home runs with eight doubles and 18 stolen bases to provide elite offensive production.

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