Jazz Chisholm Jr. injury makes Yankees' defensive demands seem even more foolish

The New York Yankees' inflexibility with Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s defensive positioning just hit an eye-rolling new level.

Chisholm Jr. has been a fantastic sport this season, but he's a second baseman. He spent all offseason operating under the assumption he'd be moving back to second base full-time this year. He began the season at second base, feeling like a breath of fresh air after the Yankees moved on from Gleyber Torres.

Then, when DJ LeMahieu returned, Chisholm Jr. just ... shuffled back to third base, where he's been occasionally brilliant, often inconsistent, and always accommodating - but why? The Yankees' desire to kowtow to LeMahieu's needs has been well-documented by now, and Chisholm Jr.'s willingness to be a good sport has earned him plaudits, but has cost the team.

Chisholm Jr. has spoken out exactly once, and while he remained gracious, he also told the truth: he's a second baseman, first and foremost, and prepared to be one again this spring. Now, the consequences of the Yankees' incorrect priorities are beginning to show.

The newly minted All-Star sat out Sunday's Subway Series game (a rare win), nursing a sore shoulder that has been bothering him for "three weeks". He hesitated to blame his defensive struggles on the malady, but ... objectively ... the throws have been the wonkiest part of his profile. If only there was some sort of defensive position that required shorter throws and came more naturally to him.

Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. nursing sore shoulder and should definitely move from third base to second ... but will he?

With every game marred by LeMahieu's limited range and plodding instincts at second base - including Sunday, when a Francisco Lindor single trickled up the middle in large part because of the slow speed of his first step - the decision to minimize Chisholm Jr.'s talents looks all the more glaring.

Now that the Yankees also have a lingering injury to account for, which only seems to affect Chisholm Jr. in the field? Any day that passes post-off day without an infield shuffle will be more embarrassng than the last.

Don't wait until the trade deadline, Yankees. Make the move you should've made in late June now.