“It’s total garbage!” - MLB analyst blasts Yankees skipper Aaron Boone on Jazz Chisholm Jr. 3B decision 

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone is taking serious heat from MLB analyst Sal Licata over the club’s puzzling handling of player positions, most notably the use of Jazz Chisholm Jr. at third base.

After Chisholm returned from a right oblique strain, Boone asked the versatile infielder to play third base instead of second base. While the hot corner doesn't come naturally to Chisholm, being a team player, he accepted the assignment.

This is what bothers the WFAN analyst, who went on a rant against the Yankees and Boone for playing players out of position. The Bronx Bombers have been sloppy in the infield and this is one of the reasons for that, according to Licata.

"But the sloppy play is what drives me up a wall," Licata said. "For years, we’ve talked about it with Gleyber Torres or IKF — guys playing out of position.

"And then this year, we’re talking about it with Jazz Chisholm. Like, why isn’t Jazz Chisholm playing second base? I don’t know. Only the Yankees could answer that—with whatever ridiculous excuse or analytics they use. It’s total garbage," he added.

(Timestamp- 00:52 onwards)

Licata also grilled Giancarlo Stanton's position in the lineup. The hard-hitting slugger can not play in any defensive setup and plays in the DH role. This forces the Yankees to sit out Ben Rice, who would have otherwise made the lineup.

Sal Licata cites example from last night's game against Blue Jays to further his point

On Wednesday, in order to accommodate Ben Rice into the lineup, they started him in the catching position. Rice hasn't served as a regular catcher with his limited experience coming in the minor leagues.

In the eighth inning, Rice failed to cover a wild pitch from Devin Williams which allowed the Toronto Blue Jays to retake the lead and eventually win the game 11-9.

Licata expressed his frustration:

"Breaking news — he’s not a catcher. I don’t care how many games he played in the minor leagues as a catcher. Ben Rice isn’t a catcher. So why is he out there in the late innings of a tie game against a division opponent that is on the verge of tying you? Why is he out there catching?

"Catching Devin Williams no less, who is difficult to catch. You saw the way Ben Rice tried to protect that ball — the wild pitch. I mean, what are we doing here?"

The Yankees will look to address various position obstacles ahead of the trade deadline, where they'll need to find a reliable third baseman so that they can give Jazz Chisholm Jr. his second base back and at the same time have a good at-bat in all places in the lineup.