Yankees have Jazz Chisholm Jr. insurance and possible replacement hiding in plain sight

The New York Yankees haven't gotten anywhere close to the lofty 50-50 season Jazz Chisholm Jr. promised. Instead, through August 5, the brash second baseman has produced 17 dingers, 30 steals, and a 93 wRC+, which is his worst mark since his first taste of big league action in 2020. That year contained just 62 plate appearances.

The 2026 season has been the most extreme example of everything that is right and wrong with the Chisholm Jr. experience. There have been incredibly clutch moments, and then there have been moments that leave you scratching your head in disbelief. Oh, and lollipop controversies. Yes, lollipops.

There are reasons why Luis Arraez was a rumored Yankees' trade target. When things are going well, Chisholm Jr. adds flair and a little bit of levity to a team that can at times feel overly buttoned up and stuffy. When things aren't going well, though, his act can be grating.

We're at one of those trying times with him now, and really it's been that way for most of the season. Chisholm Jr. put up an .800 OPS in May, but every other month this season he's recorded a mark of .727 or less. We're only four games into August, but he's batting just .067 this month. The Yankees need offense without Aaron Judge in the lineup, and Chisholm Jr. hasn't stepped up to provide it.

Where can the Yankees go for an alternative, though? The most obvious solution is the one that has likely been the most overlooked so far this year: Marco Luciano.

Marco Luciano could be a Jazz Chisholm Jr. alternative for the Yankees

At a certain point, one has to wonder how much longer the Yankees can tolerate the at-times lackadaisical effort Chisholm Jr. puts forth. This doesn't mean they need to DFA him, but maybe some time on the bench would do him well. In order to do that, though, they need a replacement, and Luciano could be that guy.

Luciano's offseason was something of an odyssey. He was cut from the San Francisco Giants, and then claimed by the Pittsburgh Pirates just to be DFA'd two weeks later. From there, he arrived in Baltimore, but they quickly DFA'd him, making him available for the Yankees. The Yankees also DFA'd him in January, but he was able to clear waivers and was able to stick around in the minors.

He began his year in Somerset, where he torched baseballs, hitting .327/.410/.713 with 10 homers in just 28 games. That got him the call to Scranton, where he has slashed .305/.395/.510 with another nine dingers. Combined, he's hitting .312/.400/.578 on the season.

Luciano has played 41 games in the majors, all coming between 2023 and 2024. In that time, he hit just .217/.286/.304. That might make him look like a Quad-A player, but there might be more than meets the eye here.

The former Giants farmhand was once a highly touted prospect, signing for $2.6 million out of the Dominican Republic back in 2018. He had some success earlier on in his minor league career, topping out at No. 13 on MLB Pipeline's top 100 prospects in 2022.

Luciano doesn't turn 25 until September, and clearly has talent. He's only ever played in the Giants' system before this year, so it's entirely possible that something has clicked for him. He's also a right-handed bat who can play second and the outfield, so he'd have some utility on New York's lefty-heavy roster. Platooning him with Chisholm Jr. seems beyond wise, at least in the experimental phase.

In addition to potentially providing an alternative to Chisholm Jr. this season, Luciano could prove to be a piece for the future if given the opportunity. Chisholm Jr. hits free agency at season's end, and after a year like this one, it's hard to see bringing him back. That's all the more reason to give Luciano a look. If he's able to prove he belongs, the Yankees may have already found their replacement. If that does come to pass, they will have also found a way to strengthen the team for the 2026 stretch run.

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