Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., who has been sidelined by a right oblique strain for the past month, began a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Thursday.
Chisholm went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk in Somerset’s 12-0 win over Akron. After opening the season as the Yankees’ starting second baseman, Chisholm played third base in Thursday’s game, with manager Aaron Boone saying Chisholm is being considered for the hot corner when he returns to the Major League club.
“We’ll see,” Boone told reporters on Wednesday. “I want him to work over there this week in his games over there. We’ll keep that flexibility and make a decision one way or the other.”
With veteran DJ LeMahieu back in the lineup at second base after opening the season on the injured list, Boone said the second-base picture could be “an evolving situation.”
Although LeMahieu is batting .184 over his first 12 games, he has shown glimpses of his former self, and if he stays healthy and begins to produce more at the plate, the two-time batting champion could become a staple in the lineup again.
In addition to LeMahieu’s return, third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera is likely out for the season after suffering an ankle fracture on a play at the plate earlier this month. Oswald Peraza has been getting most of the playing time at third base since Cabrera’s injury, but he’s struggled to a .569 OPS in 89 plate appearances.
A move to third base wouldn’t be unfamiliar for Chisholm, who played the position after being traded to the Yankees from Miami last season despite never having played there professionally prior to that.
Manny Randhawa is a reporter for MLB.com based in Denver.