As the New York Yankees enter September and teams are focused on the call-ups to evaluate their young talent, the Yankees are facing a bigger question: How to put together their postseason roster? Fans have been left wondering what Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone will do as players are coming off the injured list.
As players like Severino, Betances, Encarnacion, and Stanton are working their way back what does that mean for Nestor Cortes Jr, Cameron Maybin, Mike Tauchman and possibly Mike Ford? Fans have fallen for the “replacement” players that have powered them to dominance but unlike in little league you can’t play everyone but what a great problem to have.
For some fans, Tauchman seems to have the best chances to get his chance at postseason magic and he absolutely deserves every accolade coming his way. This leaves to question what role Giancarlo Stanton will have. Stanton who has only played in nine games since the season starting could possibly be the odd man out. Not to say he is unable to help the team but has yet to show he is healthy enough to perform. Again, a great problem to have.
If the position players have us scratching our heads, the pitching has our heads spinning. What will be of Luis Severino and Dellin Betances? Both arms have yet to play a meaningful game this year and are so close to returning for September it feels like Christmas for many fans waiting to see what awaits them. Betances has shown he can be the most dominant reliever in the game and has handled postseason pressure well. The bigger question mark is Severino, how effective can he be as a starter after missing so much of the season. Would Severino be able to pitch deep into games or will he be utilized more as an opener?
Whatever decisions are coming, the New York Yankees are surely going to tread carefully and make sure the fans get as competitive a roster as possible to cap off what has already been a season for the record books