Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong with the New York Yankees these days. The pitching staff has been saddled with 14 unearned runs, being let down by their defense in historic fashion. It's the most in a five-game span since July 1990, according to Katie Sharp on X.Then, to make things worse, a collision between Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jasson Domínguez has added another layer to the long list of follies plaguing the Bombers these days. Not only are they in danger of losing a bat, but Chisholm's absence could leave them without one of their best defenders for some time now. It's never a good sign when a player has to visit Dr. Christopher Ahmad mid-game.If there is one person who has made themselves look really important by virtue of their absence, however, it's Ryan McMahon. There is probably a correlation between the spiraling defense and McMahon going down with a peritonsillar abscess. Whatever cohesiveness the infield had this season is gone with him on the IL, and now the Yankees have been forced to use defensive alignments they wouldn't be too keen on if injuries weren't forcing them.New York Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon (19) throws out Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers (not pictured) during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. | Neville E. Guard-Imagn ImagesThe Yankees saw firsthand how crucial McMahon was to their defense this weekend at Fenway Park, when big errors by Amed Rosario on Thursday and Oswaldo Cabrera on Sunday led to a portion of those 14 unearned runs. Until McMahon is activated from the injured list on Friday, the Yankees will have to hold their breath as they try to figure out where to go.The best infield alignments right nowUntil the end of the week, the Yankees should operate with their best defense in mind. It would be great to start this off by moving Anthony Volpe from shortstop, but everybody knows they won't put him at second base, where his weaker arm could be hidden. Unfortunately, it will have to be Volpe at short for now.At second base, the Yankees should go with Cabrera in Chisholm's stead. Then, for third, the best option is José Caballero. He had a throwing error yesterday — one of many bad throws from the hot corner the last few games — but that looks to be an outlier.They can rearrange that defense again once McMahon is back. It will, again, have to start with Volpe at short. Then they could put Caballero at second base (despite having the superior arm to Volpe), and McMahon can return to third base.The Yankees need to pay whatever Etsy witch they can and hope that Chisholm is okay. While it's likely he won't be returning next year, and there's a chance they may have soured on him after he refused to speak with the media on Sunday after getting tossed against Boston, in the short term, they need his glove. It would be yet another loss they can't afford.McMahon's ValueDespite a defensive slump to start the year, McMahon has stabilized. He has an 87th percentile 3 OAA at third. McMahon's defense is so good that despite hitting just .210/.269/.360 with a 75 wRC+, his glove has carried him to a positive .5 WAR, according to FanGraphs. It's nothing great, but it's the one silver lining about his disappointing tenure in New York, where he didn't get better, but somehow got worse.McMahon doesn't mean that the Yankees will get on track immediately. It's just a step in the right direction. Cam Schlittler and Ryan Weathers, the biggest victims of the unearned run barrage, will be grateful he's back in the position the great Graig Nettles once made his home. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow