DJ LeMahieu's rehab stint could be foreshadowing a future Yankees position shift

Whenever DJ LeMahieu returns to the New York Yankees, he'll likely be a roving infield option tasked with providing versatility (and maybe starting?). However, the manner in which the team set about reacclimatizing him to live baseball and getting him comfortable feels very telling.

LeMahieu just wrapped his first week of games at Double-A Somerset, and will be reportedly transferred to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this week to get more comfortable with back-to-backs and a reasonable level of the grind. Once he reports to Triple-A, the Yankees intend to expand his reps to third base and start stacking his appearances without rest days.

Who knows how he'll hold up when that plan is actually put into action? For the time being, all we have is his first week's worth of data, featuring one back-to-back and four out of four appearances at second base.

Did the Yankees start him exclusively at second because they feel it's a less strenuous position than third, in terms of getting back into the rhythm? Or are they eyeing some days where LeMahieu will play second and Jazz Chisholm Jr. will slot back into third, his makeshift position from last season? Will LeMahieu ever be anything more than a defensive replacement at second?

Will New York Yankees' DJ LeMahieu play second or third base at the MLB level after rehab assignment?

The Yankees are far from secure at third base long-term, even though Oswaldo Cabrera has likely done a better job than most anticipated (despite a lagging OPS) in April. Chisholm, under team control through 2026 and possessing a powerful persona and toolsy package, probably won't lose reps upon LeMahieu's return (though you can never be too sure).

Still, emphasizing second base over first might be indicative of the Yankees believing that Chisholm can at least, occasionally, slide over to third for a late-inning realignment. As for who will lose their roster spot when LeMahieu returns? Pablo Reyes is the least-tenured member of the team, and has had a remarkably low impact thus far, but ... he can play the outfield. So can Cabrera. Oswald Peraza cannot. And while Reyes has been their weakest link and Peraza is out of options, the Yankees' former top prospect is just 5-for-24 with a .657 OPS to start the season.

The Yankees didn't let a lack of remaining options deter them from DFA'ing Yoendrys Gómez last week before losing him to the Dodgers. They probably wouldn't let that looming threat change their plans here, either. Reyes and Cabrera provide something LeMahieu cannot, while Peraza has been redundant thus far. After a month of regular-season action, LeMahieu's return no longer seems like something to fear. After all, the bench can't get much worse.