Yankees: Five questions the team needs to ask themselves, pronto!

Does The Team Have A Plan To Limit Innings Pitched?

The Yankees have two young starters, which if the season progresses as it has, will both pitch more innings than they ever have before. And that’s just for the regular season, with no allowance for additional innings in the playoffs.

Both Luis Severino (above) and Jordan Montgomery are a cause of concern for the Yankees. Severino is a big strong guy, and the issue with him is probably not one of stamina, but more about protecting that golden arm and spelling wins for the team over the next decade.

Montgomery is more of a finesse pitcher who relies on a taxing twelve to six curveball as his out pitch. He was sent down by the Yankees as the odd man out when trades brought Sonny Gray and Jaime Garcia to the team.

But with CC Sabathia hurting his knee during his last start in Cleveland, his spot in the rotation could become open again if Sabathia needs a trip to the DL. Montgomery would be the most likely and natural call-up to replace him.

All of which leaves the Yankees in a quandary as to whether or not they have a plan to address the matter, or do they intend to take it one start at a time. And if they decide to treat it, what is the plan they intend to implement.

September call-ups might provide some of the answers, allowing someone like Chance Adams to take a turn or three in the rotation, skipping both Severino and Montgomery.

But what the Yankees don’t want is a repeat of what the Mets experienced in 2015 when they overpitched their young starters in an all-out effort to make it to the World Series, only to be met with defeat and the disintegration of their entire staff the following season, and beyond, even as they come to Yankee Stadium next week with only Jacob deGrom as their Lone Ranger.

It’s not a new question for the Yankees, though. Brian Cashman has been living with the same problem all season. He’s resisted calling up “the kids” until he was forced into a corner, when, for example, Aaron Hicks went down, and Clint Frazier was called up prematurely.

It’s a head scratcher, no doubt. But it’s one the Yankees will have to answer sooner and not later.