4 Yankees who may have saved their roster spot after Red Sox series win

Though the New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox weekend series started off as poorly as it possibly could've for the Bombers, it could very well be a turning point in their 2024 season. And in the process, a few guys might've saved their jobs ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline.

Friday night's 9-7 loss was a killer, but the 11-8 and 8-2 wins on national television completely flipped the script and offered signs that spiraling Yankees weren't dead yet. On Saturday, Brian Cashman traded for Jazz Chisholm in a deal with the Miami Marlins, and though he made a minimal impact on Sunday night, it was a step in the right direction for what this team needs.

Fans can expect a flurry of other deals to happen between now and Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET, but we're wondering if a handful of Yankees once believed to be on the chopping block may actually remain as roster fixtures for the rest of the way.

4 Yankees who may have saved their roster spot after Red Sox series win

Caleb Ferguson

Ferguson has been a tough watch all year, but has likely stayed with the Yankees because he provides something the team is lacking: left-handed pitching. Prior to the series against the Sox, Ferguson was part of the embarrassing 12-3 loss against the Mets, during which he allowed four runs (two earned) on two hits and a walk in just 1/3 of an inning.

But against the Sox, the veteran quite literally saved the Yankees. On Saturday, he relieved Marcus Stroman in the fourth inning to get two huge outs with a runner in scoring position to stop the bleeding. On Sunday night, he logged 1 1/3 innings of relief and finished the game to help save an exhausted bullpen.

This series showed us that Ferguson still has that ability to succeed in high-pressure moments, and it might still be valuable to the front office.

Jake Cousins

Once thought to be roster fodder, Jake Cousins has actually turned out to be ... nasty? His sinker-slider combo is on track to give him a lot of positive peripheral metrics once he can officially qualify, but he's even been passing the eye test.

Though he surrendered what was almost a costly home run on Saturday (frustratingly on an 0-2 count), Cousins ended up logging 2 2/3 innings of work. He allowed just one run on two hits while striking out five. Had he not made that one mistake pitch to the red-hot Tyler O'Neill, he would've legitimately been perfect.

The Yankees have a lot of maneuvering to do with their bullpen, but Cousins' overall showing in the spotlight this weekend might make a case for him to be one of the last guys on Aaron Boone's relief call sheet.

Alex Verdugo

It's always felt like a bit of a long shot that the Yankees would get rid of Alex Verdugo before the trade deadline, but there was a real argument to be had. He's seriously been one of the worst qualified hitters in baseball for over two months. How much longer would the Yankees let that go on for?

But it appears he woke up against his former team this weekend. Verdugo went 7-for-15 in the three-game series with three doubles, five runs scored and an RBI. He did an excellent job setting the table in the leadoff spot both Saturday and Sunday.

Friday represented his first multi-hit game since July 6 and it was the first time he logged consecutive multi-hit games since June 8-10 against the Dodgers and Royals. Verdugo logged seven hits in three days after recording 11 hits from July 2-24. Maybe Boone was right about Verdugo not being far away from breaking out of his slump. We'll see what the front office says over the next 36 hours.

Gleyber Torres

Though his postgame comments probably put him right back in the doghouse, Gleyber Torres was a driving force in the victories on Saturday and Sunday. In the series, he went 5-for-14 with a run scored, two doubles and four RBI, including a clutch, two-out double in extras on Saturday to give the Yankees an 11-8 lead. His two-run single in the first inning on Sunday put the Yankees up 3-0, and they never relinquished that lead.

Across 18 games in July (and after his late-June benching), Torres is hitting .288 with an .813 OPS. That's the version of the slugger the Yankees need to succeed. He needs to be lengthening the lineup by peppering in some clutch hits on a fairly consistent basis.

The bad news? He made two bad plays in this series against the Sox and made a costly error in a series loss to the Rays last week. The defense still isn't where it needs to be for an everyday, seven-year veteran second baseman. With that offensive hot streak, he still only hitting .237 with a .681 OPS. Additionally, he expressed a hesitance to play another position following the import of Chisholm, who some believe will log second base reps this season.

The Yankees can make it work, though. Chisholm can mostly play center field and fill in for Gleyber during much-needed off days. We'd still probably support a roster shakeup from an offensive perspective, but Torres definitely reminded everyone how important he can be to this team when he's dialed in.