Yankees: Are they continuing to fool everybody, or just themselves?

Conceivably, the Yankees have two players coming back from injuries and another one who will follow them. Did Brian Cashman have a crystal ball at the deadline and that’s why he didn’t move to add position players?

Noticeably, the Yankees went after both bullpen and starting pitching at the trade deadline and not position players. Finally, when the dust had settled, Lucas Duda was not a Yankees, nor was Yonder Alonso, both of whom could have given the team a charge at first base.

But it just might be the Yankees had a better idea, a risky one for sure, but also one they are about to spring on the league that just could make the difference in their sputtering offense.

The Bird wants to fly again

For one thing, and perhaps the biggest development, Greg Bird has apparently come to terms with the injury he suffered at the end of Spring Training that’s kept him out of the Yankees lineup for four months.

This is how Bird recently expressed it to the New York Post. “I know how it feels and I know what I can do, And that’s the relief.”

Greg Bird (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

You bet it is. And the Yankees will welcome him back as soon as he is ready with open arms. The team has always had faith in Bird, and Joe Girardi once called him “the best pure hitter” on the team.

Chase Headley, much like Ronald Torreyes filling in for Didi Gregorius earlier in the season, has done an admirable and efficient job of filling in at first base since Todd Frazier came aboard. But the combination of lefty/righty Headler/Frazier has platoon written all over it.

Ask the question. Is there anyone more motivated that Greg Bird to prove his usefulness to the team right now, after having missed the bulk of two seasons with injuries.

The other Aaron is coming back too

No one made more of an impression on the team when he was healthy than Aaron Hicks. Girardi and the Yankees always believed in him, but for most of us, it’s fair to say he was a “show me” case.

When given a chance, show he did. With more than a batting average over .300 and a display of power, hitting from the left side gave the Yankees lineup a different and much needed new look.

Aaron Hicks (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

Where he plays and how often he plays when he comes back as soon as this weekend, is a matter for Joe Girardi to handle. The early prediction that Clint Frazier will be sent down is no longer a possibility, as Frazier’s strengths have been seen by Girardi and others.

From Hick’s perspective, he’s become used to battling for everything he gets from the Yankees. After all, he did lose the right field job to Judge on the last day of Spring Training. So, what else is new?

Castro needs to pick up the pace

The Yankees, unlike other teams, are extremely cautious when it comes to injuries. Starlin Castro went on the DL with a strained right hamstring on June 27. He returned briefly but landed on the DL again where he’s been since July 22.

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Coming back from hamstring injuries too soon can be deadly, and the Yankees may quietly be wishing they had played it differently with Castro.

The Yankees second baseman began running last Friday and took swings in the cage for the first time on Tuesday. There is, however, no timetable for his return to the lineup.

As always, Ronald Torreyes is doing a credible job of filling in for Castro, with an occasional appearance of Tyler Wade in games Girardi spots for the rookie.

But the overall effect of having Castro and Didi Gregorius in the same lineup makes the Yankees a different and better team than they can be now.

Springing A New Attack On The League

The team is in a position in which they can spring a new and much-needed attack on the league. The return of Hicks, Castro, and hopefully Bird could accomplish that.

Aaron Judge is in the midst of month-long slump now. Gary Sanchez is not providing the back-up behind or in front of Judge that is needed. Both went hitless last night, and Judge piled on two more strikeouts to lead the league with 46 since the All Star break. Plus, the Yankees may have seen the last of Matt Holliday for a while.

With the team playing only well enough to lose more than they are winning, a thunderbolt may need to strike the team as a wake-up call.

Comfortably ahead in the Wild Card race, the Yankees are rapidly slipping away any chance to win the Division. The Red Sox have spun off seven in a row and along with the Yankees 4-2 loss to the Blue Jays last night, now hold a four-game lead over the Bombers.

At the moment, Joe Girardi does not have the pieces to shake up the lineup any more than he has already. Despite everything, the team somehow manages to hold on to what they have. But when you look at it, that’s only because, other than the Red Sox, no other team has made a significant move to take it away from them.

Next: Yankees Mr. Excitement Continues To Excel

The team needs to play a winning brand of consistent baseball over the next twenty games. Otherwise, the reminder from Satchel Paige could ring true. “Don’t look back cause someone might be gaining on you.”

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