3 Yankees who won't survive roster crunch when Schmidt, Rizzo, Berti return from injury

The New York Yankees' active roster expands to 28 men on Sept. 1, but sorry, Brian Cashman, that's as far as it goes.

The Bombers are going to have to make a number of tough decisions and juggle some popular players with remaining minor-league options down the stretch run this season, as several veteran contributors are set to return from non-season-ending injuries.

Notably, reliever Scott Effross has already returned to action with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Around the time he was promoted from a Low-A rehab stint to Triple-A in late June, Aaron Boone noted that the Yankees didn't plan to call him up until he resembled his old self. Having thrown five straight scoreless outings in August, two of them encompassing multiple innings, we might be getting closer to that point (and that date just might be ... Sept. 1). Flamethrowing righty Nick Burdi, who made the Opening Day roster, is also at Triple-A, waiting for a call that might not come.

Luis Gil's placement on the injured list with a back issue might clear up some of the logjam, but ... he might be back at nearly the exact same time Clarke Schmidt is ready, if his injury is as minor as the Yankees are claiming. Jon Berti's back on rehab with Somerset, as is Anthony Rizzo in a DH role this weekend, working back from an arm fracture. Schmidt threw approximately 50 pitches on Friday. Ian Hamilton recently threw live BP. Jazz Chisholm is back, he's just grabbing a Diet Pepsi first (turns out he was right!). Cody Poteet has returned to the rubber! How are the Yankees going to manage all this? Unfortunately, Jasson Dominguez cannot be the corresponding move for all of them.

3 (or more) Yankees who won't survive roster crunch after Anthony Rizzo, Jon Berti, Clarke Schmidt, Ian Hamilton injury returns

Ben Rice, 1B

Just as Oswald Peraza acted as the "simple" roster move when Chisholm was ready (shouldn't have been, but was), demoting Rice after stapling him to the bench will likely be the recourse for Rizzo ... unless Rizzo DHing becomes the norm. If Rizzo can't contribute at first, the Yankees might not activate him at all.

Rice debuted with a bash, hitting three homers in one game against the Red Sox after putting up professional at-bats during his early time in the Show. Since then, he's been significantly colder, though Boone deemphasizing him against left-handers as a formal rule can't have helped much.

Rice could be this team's first baseman of the future, but odds are he'll be sent down to Triple-A for the duration of Rizzo's time on the active roster this year, however long that turns out to be.

Oswaldo Cabrera, 3B

Look. I'm not excited about it either. Didn't want to write this. But options are options, and the Yankees have veterans they have to trust. Berti's setbacks following a late May calf injury bought Cabrera a bit more time and allowed him to embrace a second breakout after a red hot April. They can demote him without a DFA, though, and they likely will, despite his flair for the dramatic and postseason-ready energy.

The outside-the-box solution here, which would benefit the team greatly? Placing DJ LeMahieu on the injured list and figuring out exactly why a little bit later. LeMahieu's .512 OPS and -1.7 bWAR are disqualifying for regular duty on a contending team -- and those totals include his six-RBI game and walk-off hit against the Blue Jays. Technically, he's directly responsible for two wins, but also for countless face palms. The foot's probably not right, and may never be. Sad, but true.

Tim Mayza, LHP

The Yankees could've avoided calling Michael Tonkin's name for a while, but surprisingly, they decided to rip the bandage off on Sunday, promoting Phil Bickford to cover some innings in the interim. The question is: can they avoid any future upcoming roster maneuvers until Sept. 1? Because Jake Cousins has options, but has been so essential to this team's bullpen plans in recent weeks, becoming a de facto closer against the White Sox and holding the line in extra innings against the Guards. You can't lose him. Maybe you get lucky, rosters expand to include Cousins and Hamilton on Sept. 1, Dominguez joins, and the Yankees move on.

Schmidt will more than likely replace Will Warren on the active roster. That leaves Hamilton post-Sept., but also Effross, Burdi, and Gil's eventual return. Tonkin, who'd worked himself off the assembly line and into the team's circle of trust, has once again found himself on the outs before October, sporting a 6.00 ERA in his last 15 games. Bickford may be DFA'd by the start of next week, leaving Tim Mayza next on the increasingly complex chopping block.

Tim Hill outlasting Tonkin? Who'da thunk it? Things always work out differently, and these crunches always involve new injuries and unwelcome changes. But as things currently stand, there was no way for Tonkin to make it to the finish line after emerging as a closer option midsummer. Now, it's fair to wonder how far down the rabbit hole the Yankees have to go to accommodate all this movement. Will Hill be spared after Mayza? Will Burdi ever actually return?