It’s been a rough stretch for LSU baseball entering the third week of conference play, but head coach Jay Johnson is still figuring out his roster and working behind-the-scenes magic.

Johnson is notorious for doing things a little differently. From having the second baseman and shortstop switch positions on the field to having players play different positions for each season, he has a plan.

He’s not playing checkers.

Johnson has said during media sessions that he has plans to split some time between different positions this season. He said he built this roster with the intention of true depth, and trying to keep his best players healthy is a big part of this goal.

Odd shifts

During the 2023 season, the Tigers’ middle infielders would trade positions based on whether the pitcher is a pull hitter. This puts the infielder with the better range in the spot where the ball is more likely to be hit, which is what happens when a roster is so loaded with talent that each player can play each position.

This method came out to play as early as Week 3 of the 2026 season. Tigers’ shortstop Steven Milam and second baseman for the game, Brayden Simpson, pulled out this same trick. It happened again in Game 1 versus Oklahoma with Milam and the combo of John Pearson at third base and Trent Caraway at second base.

The reasoning is simple: if Caraway can play second and third, and if the ball is likely to come down the third base line, let him shift.

Johnson said after the first instance of this style of shift that he isn’t trying to invent anything new, but he’s trying to put his best guys in the best position at all times.

“You know, Michael Jordan always guarded the best player on the other team and is the NBA Defensive Player of the Year,” Johnson said after the first instance in 2026. “I’m not trading my shortstop for anybody, so I just put him where I thought they were gonna hit it the most.”

The depth that this roster brings allows almost any combination of athletes to make these odd shifts happen.

Musical positions

Along with the position changes mid-game, Johnson has also been open to starting certain players in unlikely positions to try and find the best mix for his team.

In the third game of the season, Caraway started at second base, and he said it was the first time he’d ever started there.

Johnson said that if Caraway can play shortstop, then he can play second base, which created a game of musical positions around the infield and has even leaked into the outfield.

Simpson got his first-ever collegiate outfield assist during his graduate-transfer campaign. He played four years at High Point University, primarily at third base.

“I didn’t know if I was going to get any college firsts while being here, but [getting the assist] was one of them,” Simpson said. “So that was kind of cool, and kind of exciting.”

Johnson has turned to the players on the bench during the high and low points of the season, and while it looks like he’s getting his lower-classmen’s feet wet, it really is a plan to integrate them into the games.

He said that everyone on the team is elite, so it’s always a hard day’s work in Alex Box Stadium, even for the established starters. Johnson showed this by giving different players starts after having an offensive drought.

Pearson has gotten most of his recent starts due to Caraway’s offensive shortcomings. Since senior Seth Dardar has struggled a bit offensively, Johnson gave Caraway another shot in Game 1 against Oklahoma on Thursday.

The game of musical positions has also allowed Johnson to prepare his athletes for what’s beyond the fences of Skip Bertman Field.

Preparing for the future

In the 2025 season, Derek Curiel was a freshman at the time and played left field, but made the switch to center field in 2026 despite all three outfield starters returning.

Johnson’s answer to making the switch was simple.

“He’s a center fielder,” Johnson said. “He came here as a center fielder.”

He said that he knew Curiel would become an elite athlete at LSU, so keeping him healthy at the top of the lineup was the main goal. Johnson didn’t want to overwhelm his star-studded freshman.

Johnson compared this to what his staff did with Milam when he was a freshman. He played second base while eventual national champion Michael Braswell III played shortstop in 2024.

Johnson said he knew Milam would be elite, and he wanted him to adjust offensively first before getting shoved into the defensive spotlight.

In 2026, another situation has been brought to the surface by the depth of the roster. Catchers Cade Arrambide and Omar Serna Jr. have been splitting significant time as designated players or catching defensively.

Arrambide caught a few games throughout the 2025 season, but watched as Luis Hernandez held down the backstop for most of the season. He learned a lot as a freshman in 2025 while watching most of the games, and it has shown early this season.

Arrambide came in as one of the hottest recruits in his class, and the time and preparation Johnson has put into him has led to his success. Now he gets to be the leader for Serna, a current freshman.

Serna mostly catches midweek games and the occasional Game 2 of a series. Johnson said this is partly because of the dominant, veteran pitcher, Cooper Moore. This is the formula he followed with Arrambide that has prepared him for the brunt of the work.

Catching is hard on the body, so Johnson is trying to keep all of his guys healthy for later in the season as well.

“This is probably as aggressive as I’ve done this run into the schedule ever,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to keep doing things like shifting or switching the catching.”

Johnson knows being a part of the “Powerhouse of College Baseball” can be demanding, so along with his recruitment of the best, he’s keeping all of his players healthy while getting the nonstarters’ feet wet in the process.

While it looks like chaos now, Johnson is always three steps ahead when it comes to his guys.

“We have a lot of versatility with this team, a lot of keyhole matchups,” Johnson said. “I think [Game 3 versus Milwaukee] was a good indication of what and how we can do what we want to do with the personnel that we have.”