The New York Yankees close out their four-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday in the Bronx after taking two of the first three meetings.
The club seems to be looking for a different mix, and the lineup posted for the finale delivered one of the more surprising omissions of the week: Jazz Chisholm Jr. is not in the starting nine, via Underdog MLB.
Paul Goldschmidt will lead off as the designated hitter, followed by Cody Bellinger in left, Heliot Ramos in right, Ben Rice at first, Amed Rosario at third, George Lombard Jr. at short, Anthony Volpe at second, Austin Wells behind the plate, and José Caballero in center.
Cam Schlittler gets the ball on the mound. Chisholm, a two-time All-Star in his third season in pinstripes, is on the bench after collecting a hit, a walk, a run, and a stolen base in Wednesday’s win.
The 28-year-old is hitting .233 this year with 109 hits, 19 home runs, 55 RBIs, 69 runs, and 41 stolen bases across 136 games. Those numbers are modest by the standard he set after arriving from Miami, but they still reflect the speed and pop that helped New York reach the World Series in 2024.
Sitting him against a left-handed starter, and so soon after time on the injured list, immediately drew skepticism from the fan base that has watched manager Aaron Boone juggle infield alignments all season.
Much of the online reaction focused less on rest and more on the ripple effects. Volpe is at second rather than third. Lombard Jr. is getting the shortstop look. Caballero is in center instead of a more conventional outfield mix.
Several observers argued the club should have used the final weekend of September to experiment with Chisholm at third and a different combination up the middle, especially with October approaching and every at-bat carrying extra weight.
Others simply called the card another example of Boone “getting cute” when a more straightforward group would have been the safer choice.
Context matters. The Yankees have spent much of 2026 trying to balance veteran presence with younger pieces while staying in the playoff picture. Goldschmidt at the top of the order is one answer to that puzzle.
So is giving Lombard Jr. and Caballero innings that could matter if the roster needs flexibility in October.
Whether Thursday’s version works will be measured in runs scored against Tampa Bay, but the larger question is whether Chisholm’s absence is a one-day reset or the start of a more cautious usage pattern down the stretch.
For a player who built his reputation on energy and disruption, a day off in a meaningful series is never quiet.
The Yankees will hope the new look produces. If it does not, the conversation that started the moment the lineup dropped will only grow louder.
