Yankees make baffling roster shuffle in likely corresponding move for Luis Gil

The New York Yankees waited an extra few months for slingin' right-hander Scott Effross to get right at the minor-league level, demoting him in the wake of his rehab assignment to make absolutely certain he was in rhythm for his eventual recall.

On Thursday afternoon, the Yankees revealed they planned to use Effross as shuttle fodder all along.

With plenty of pieces on the Welcome Back Wagon over the next few days, the Yankees decided that Effross was somehow the right man to be the first to go, even with an expanded roster to work with.

The righty shook off a tough 2024 debut at home against the Cardinals by posting 1 1/3 efficient innings in Wednesday's debacle, erasing the Rangers on just 23 pitches (15 strikes). Still, the fruit of the Hayden Wesneski trade (epic swap) will head back to the minors ahead of the Yankees' series at Wrigley Field, while right-hander Luis Gil (more than likely) nabs his roster spot.

Yankees' Scott Effross is weird corresponding move for Luis Gil

Gil will start Friday's game, while returning righty Clarke Schmidt will pitch Saturday. One of the two men will be piggybacked by Nestor Cortes Jr. This is all very normal and not at all random.

Effross wasn't the only optionable pitcher to be overused in Wednesday's cooked product. Ron Marinaccio tossed one inning (29 pitches), allowing two earned runs and a walk. Tim Mayza, whose DFA is still looming, allowed three runs and two hits in 1/3 of an inning, letting the loss balloon out of hand after entering with a 5-2 deficit.

Presumably, both men will also be sent packing in the coming days to accommodate Schmidt and Ian Hamilton, who rehabbed brilliantly on Wednesday (while also throwing a ton of pitches).

Hamilton won't be fresh until Friday, at the earliest, and deserves a lengthy look as a potential "creative" closer down the stretch.

Both Effross and Marinaccio were worn down Wednesday, but the one who threw more pitches and looked worse gets to stay longer. Even when the Yankees have some obvious sequencing ahead of them, they still manage to zag confoundingly.