Insane incoming Yankees roster crunch could take multiple victims (but Sept. 1 helps)

When the New York Yankees acquired Austin Slater to fill half of an outfield platoon, it helped thicken the bench and provided the Yankees an extra body amid Aaron Judge's doom-incurring injury. It also created some excess if Judge wasn't done for the season, especially after they'd also brought on Amed Rosario. The Yankees turned Oswald Peraza's bench spot into a player with minor-league options, but there still wasn't enough room for Judge/Slater/Rosario at the same time, unless they wanted to play a pitcher short.

As it turned out, the corresponding move for Judge's swifter-than-expected return was ... Slater himself, who suffered a relatively serious hamstring pull that'll have him out for 4-to-6 weeks. Rosario going down shortly thereafter only added to the trade deadline's sick joke. If both return this season, it'll be thanks to September roster expansion, which will allow the Yankees to carry 28 players instead of 26 and won't require a difficult bench move.

That means they'll only be able to use one of their expanded roster spots on an extra pitcher, which will cause an entirely different set of issues.

In the coming weeks, both Fernando Cruz and Ryan Yarbrough should return, unless they experience hiccups (eds. note: someone usually experiences hiccups). Jonathan Loáisiga is also purportedly going to be available "pretty soon" after being placed on the Injured List for reasons we all kind of suspected were phantom. Is "pretty soon" before Sept. 1? It doesn't seem like he'll beat either Cruz or Yarbrough, making him eventual DFA bait, against all odds.

Regardless, if Cruz and Yarbrough return, it'll happen at the expense of a fan favorite, and if/when Loáisiga is ready, they'll either be able to bring that fan favorite back or accommodate the erratic righty.

Yankees' roster crunch will feature Jonathan Loaisiga, Ryan Yarbrough, Fernando Cruz returns (hopefully?)

If both Cruz and Yarbrough can make it back this month, one will replace left-hander Brent Headrick rather seamlessly. The other will replace ... Yerry de los Santos, who's become an essential piece of the Yankees' puzzle, soaking up important innings with a 1.57 ERA. Or perhaps Yarbrough will replace Cam Schlittler instead, saving the rookie's innings and moving into the rotation?

Regardless, we'd rather have Schlittler or de los Santos back on Sept. 1 instead of Loáisiga. Of course, there's also a world where Slater never returns, either hidden on the IL for the remainder of the year or released when healthy. In that case ... it sure would be nice to have Gage Ziehl back.