4 Yankees who could lose their jobs before 2022 postseason

2. Clarke Schmidt (or…Ron Marinaccio?! No…but…?)

Don’t crush the messenger here, but the Yankees spent all summer messing with Clarke Schmidt and Ron Marinaccio’s service time just to keep their more experienced options in the ‘pen (and get worse).

With a few weeks left, they could easily do it again, with four arms to welcome back into the fold.

Schmidt’s position is more precarious than Marinaccio’s, but assuming the Yankees get Effross, Chapman, Britton and Castro all back — and want them all back — they have to remove four pitchers from the current active roster (they’re carrying 14, at the moment, which is the legal maximum). That’s Weber, that’s Weissert, and that’s two of Schmidt/Luetge/Marinaccio.

Luetge won out over those two once already. It could happen again. Or they could leave Castro in the minors for the remainder of the season (or jettison Chapman from their postseason roster, if they’re really feeling frisky).

Or someone could get injured again. Dropping Schmidt (and Marinaccio) wouldn’t be the death-knell for their potential postseason availability. It does, however, remain the most likely course of action.

And, don’t forget, Luis Severino will be back, too. All five could go!

Sevy’s return will remove Schmidt from any future rotation chances, and he’s mainly been a mop-up guy for weeks now. He’s been an effective option in 2022, but it’s often felt like a round starter peg being shoved into a square bullpen hole. What is Schmidt? The Yankees still aren’t sure, but he seems unlikely to be on the active roster for Game 162.

And Marinaccio? He’s walked five men in his last 7.1 innings pitched, scuffling on Sunday and in extra innings against the Twins on Wednesday. Don’t say you weren’t warned.