Yankees must make crucial 40-man roster decisions

The Yankees have until Nov 20 to set their 40-man roster. With so many top prospects stocking the farm system, who is guaranteed a spot and who is left unprotected?

The phrase ‘Too much of a good thing’ dates back to the late 15th century, when William Shakespeare first used it in his play, ‘As You Like It.’ Little did the famous playwright know that some 414 years later, the expression he coined would sum up the Yankees and their abundance of minor league prospects.

Just one week ago, the Yanks went ahead and added right-handed relief pitcher Nick Rumbelow and outfielder Jake Cave to the 40-man roster as to avoid them becoming minor league free agents.

Cave, who was actually selected in the 2015 Rule 5 draft by the Reds, hit .255 during spring training in 2016, only to be cut on the final day of camp — and thereby returned to the Yankees. Then last season, Cave was left unprotected once again but went unclaimed.

The 24-year-old former sixth-round draft pick finally began to come into his own in 2017, hitting .305/.351/.542 with 20 home runs and 56 RBI in 103 games, spread throughout Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton.

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As for Rumbelow, the 26-year-old who had a cup of coffee with the big league team in 2015 — missed the entire 2016 season due to Tommy John surgery. Returning to mound last June, Rumbelow compiled a 5-1 record, 1.12 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 40 innings of relief at the highest levels of minor league ball.

So with only five remaining roster spots to play with, who do the Yankees lock up for another season, and who do they risk losing?

Similar to last winter when general manager Brian Cashman sent James Pazos to the Mariners for a lower-level prospect, the club could look to deal from within to lighten the load.

Names that you’ve probably heard of that are on the cusp of being dropped or dealt include Mason Williams, Garrett Cooper, Chasen Shreve, Caleb Smith, Giovanny Gallegos, Ronald Herrera, Rashad Crawford and Kyle Higashioka.

As for the no-brainers that will be added to the 40-man roster, look for No.1 MLB prospect Gleyber Torres, Domingo Acevedo, Albert Abreu, Billy McKinney and Thairo Estrada.

Some of the prospects that should consider roster maneuverability include Ben Heller, J.P. Feyereisen, Nestor Cortes and Mike Ford.

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Losing top-notch talent for absolutely nothing, like the Yankees did last year when catcher Luis Torrens was selected by the Padres in the Rule 5 draft, needs to be avoided if at all possible.