Yankees move All-Star infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. from third base back to second

NEW YORK (AP) — All-Star infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. is moving back to second base with the New York Yankees in place of DJ LeMahieu, who is heading to the bench.

New York also put reliever Mark Leiter Jr. on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to Monday, with a stress fracture in his left leg. Clayton Beeter was recalled from Triple-A, and fellow right-hander Cam Schlittler will be called up Wednesday night to start against Seattle in his major league debut.

Chisholm began the season at second, his most natural position after breaking into the big leagues there with Miami five years ago. But he played third for the Yankees last year and had been starting there again since returning in early June from a right oblique strain — after New York third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera broke his left ankle May 12.

LeMahieu came off the injured list the following day and, although he has plenty of experience at both spots, has made all 35 of his starts this year at second base.

LeMahieu won three Gold Gloves at second with Colorado from 2014-18 — and another one in a utility role with the Yankees in 2022. But he turns 37 on Sunday and his range has been diminished by a series of toe, foot and hip injuries.

Chisholm, meanwhile, has made some wild throws from third lately while hampered by a sore shoulder, and New York has been shaky overall on defense at times.

“Obviously, the last week was a little bit of a struggle for him over at third. I think part of that is just being a little banged up and not being able to do some of his prep work that allows him to stay on top of things at third,” manager Aaron Boone said. "But I think just letting his athleticism go in the middle of the diamond is something that serves him and us well.”

Chisholm is batting .247 with 15 homers, 39 RBIs and an .846 OPS after hitting an RBI double Tuesday night in a 10-3 victory over the Mariners. He was selected to the AL All-Star team Sunday, when he sat out a 6-4 win over the New York Mets that snapped the Yankees' second six-game losing streak since mid-June.

The two-time All-Star played second base in the series opener versus Seattle, with Oswald Peraza starting at third and batting ninth.

"Just with what we’ve gone through here the last week, and again, Jazz not being able to lean into some of the throwing stuff that he would normally do, just felt like it made sense to do this right now,” Boone said. “He’s good with it. ... He’s ready to go do his thing there.”

The manager called it a “fluid” situation and was asked what the plan is at third base going forward.

“It’s Peraza tonight — and we’ll see,” he said.

The 25-year-old Peraza can play second, third and shortstop — but he is batting only .157 with three homers, 14 RBIs and a .487 OPS.

"I think wherever you put him on the diamond, the defense has been phenomenal. He’s a really talented defender," Boone said. "I still think there’s that upside and talent in there offensively, too. I mean, he’s got pop, he’s got athleticism, he can drive the ball the other way with authority. But it has been a struggle offensively when he’s gotten the reps.”

LeMahieu is hitting .266 with two homers, 12 RBIs and a .674 OPS. The three-time All-Star and two-time batting champion has a .310 average in his last 31 games since June 1.

Boone said the Yankees have no plans to play LeMahieu at third at the moment because “physically it’s a challenge for him right now.”

He'll have some sort of role as a right-handed bat off the bench, and Boone was asked how LeMahieu took the news.

“Not great, necessarily. But that’s kind of the situation we’re in right now,” the manager said.

Leiter is 4-6 with a 4.46 ERA and two saves in 41 appearances covering 34 1/3 innings. He said he got injured covering first base June 24 in Cincinnati but had been pitching through the issue until it really became a problem this past weekend.

Tests revealed the stress fracture, and there was no timetable yet for the right-hander's return.

Luis Gil is expected to throw about 50 pitches and three innings during his first minor league rehab start Sunday. The reigning AL Rookie of the Year has been sidelined since spring training by a right lat strain.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

New York Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. looks on from the dugout after a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (Thomas Skrlj/The Canadian Press via AP)

New York Yankees second base DJ LeMahieu (26) grounds out Athletics' Max Muncy (10) during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

New York Yankees pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. delivers during the tenth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

New York Yankees' DJ LeMahieu dives for a ball hit by Athletics' Nick Kurtz for a single during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 27, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) throws to first base but Toronto Blue Jays' Davis Schneider, not pictured, is safe during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Minnesota Wild made an all-in move for one of the NHL's best players in his prime, acquiring defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks in a blockbuster trade — their boldest action yet toward ending a decade-long skid of playoff series defeats.

The teams announced the seismic move on Friday night, after the 2024 Norris Trophy winner as the league's top defenseman had been the most talked-about trade candidate over the past couple of weeks. Minnesota sent center Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium, winger Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick in the 2026 draft to suddenly rebuilding Vancouver to complete the deal.

The trade was the second major swap of the day, after two-time Stanley Cup Final runner-up Edmonton finally made a move for a goaltender, acquiring Tristan Jarry from Pittsburgh.

Rossi (24), Ohgren (21) and Buium (20) fit the mold of the young talent the Canucks were speculated to be targeting if they were going to trade Hughes. Rossi (2020), Ohgren (2022) and Buium (2024) were all recent first-round draft picks by the Wild.

“Quinn played hard, led by example and did a lot of very good things for the Canucks," Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin said. "Trading away a player of this caliber is never an easy decision to make, but it was one we had to do to make our team better. We are so excited to add a solid centre in Marco, a good young blueliner in Zeev and a versatile forward in Liam. This year’s draft is a strong one, so acquiring a first-round pick was also a big part of this deal.”

Hughes had no trade-blocking protection in his current deal that pays him an average of $7.85 million annually. Hughes, who is 26 and widely considered the best at player on the blue line behind only Colorado’s Cale Makar, is signed through the 2026-27 season before he can become an unrestricted free agent.

The Wild will not be allowed to extend Hughes until July 1, and it’s unclear if he would consider signing a new contract with them. There has been plenty of buzz around the league that Quinn wants to play with his brothers, Jack and Luke, with the New Jersey Devils.

They could potentially be teammates on the U.S. Olympic team, either in February in Milan or in 2030. Wild general manager Bill Guerin runs USA Hockey’s management team.

The long-term outlook for Hughes can wait until next summer, though. The Wild are focused on challenging the two top teams ahead of them in the loaded Central Division, rivals that happen to also have the top two records in the NHL: Colorado and Dallas.

The season-long celebration of the franchise's 25th anniversary would be a lot more meaningful if the Wild can finally advance in the playoffs, having lost nine straight series after a first-round victory over St. Louis in 2015. The Wild have passed the second round just once in their entire existence, when they were swept in the Western Conference finals by Anaheim in 2003.

Hughes is a significant upgrade to Minnesota's blue line, anchored by captain and 16-year veteran Jared Spurgeon, smooth-skating 14-year veteran Jonas Brodin and young stalwart Brock Faber. The emergence of rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt this season has given the Wild a reliable tandem with Filip Gustavsson in the net, with star winger Kirill Kaprizov leading the attack after recently signing the richest contract in hockey history to stay in the “State of Hockey” through 2034.

After a rough start, the Wild are 14-3-2 since Nov. 1. They host Ottawa on Saturday and Boston on Sunday night, with the latter game likely the more realistic one for Hughes to debut.

Hughes had two goals, 21 assists and 32 blocked shots in 23 games this season with the last-in-the-NHL Canucks. When he won the Norris Trophy two seasons ago, Hughes had 17 goals and 75 assists, both single-season franchise records for defensemen and the most among all blue liners in the league. Drafted seventh overall in 2018 out of Michigan, the native of Orlando, Florida, spent time growing up in the Boston and Toronto areas while his father, a hockey coach, moved around.

This was Hughes' third season as Vancouver's captain, and his abrupt exit paves the way for more change 11 months since the trade of J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers and in the aftermath of coach Rick Tocchet's departure.

“With the circumstances surrounding J.T. and now Quinn, we are fortunate to acquire these very good young players from Minnesota,” Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said. "They will be a key part of the rebuild that we are currently in, giving us a bright future moving forward. The hockey club will continue to build with talented young players using that as a blueprint to become a contender sooner rather than later.”

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

Minnesota Wild's Liam Ohgren (28) and Jonas Brodin (25) celebrate a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during first period NHL action, in Edmonton on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Minnesota Wild defenseman Zeev Buium, left, skates with the puck as Dallas Stars center Colin Blackwell (15) defends during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes waits for play to begin in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Colorado Avalanche Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)