Yankees should avoid replacing intriguing rookie with Gerrit Cole's old friend

The New York Yankees saw their catching platoon forcibly split up just before the All-Star break when Jose Trevino came up lame rounding third base in the team's 4-1 series-opening victory over the Orioles.

Though Trevino eventually hobbled out of the dugout to defend Austin Wells' honor in Brandon Hyde's inspired melee, the damage was too extensive for him to contribute in the near future; he's since been placed on the Injured List with a Grade 2 quad strain. It's ... gonna be a while.

That means, for now, the Yankees will increase Wells' reps and turn to Triple-A backstop Carlos Narvaez as their backup, who's earned plaudits for his defense and might just contribute offensively, too, posting a .269/.386/.443 triple-slash at Triple-A, with nine homers and 47 RBI.

You know who won't contribute offensively? Martín Maldonado, the 37-year-old catcher DFA'd by the White Sox on Wednesday after a robust .119 average in the first half.

Still, Maldonado and Cole were comfortable together during their Houston days, and the Yankees could use a veteran's guiding hand in Trevino's place, even though the numbers show that Maldonado represents the idea of a comforting blanket these days without the defensive impact to match. Would they dare demote another rookie in silence like they did with Jorbit "Moonlight Graham" Vivas?

Yankees could add Gerrit Cole's former catcher Martin Maldonado or they, like, couldn't

The argument against Maldonado is strong. If the Yankees add him, they'll be tempted to play him. They can't afford to sacrifice offense at any position, let alone to this degree. Cole's comfort is important, but if the data bears out that Maldonado isn't the same guy Cole once felt confident with in Houston, wouldn't he be inclined to believe that rather than agitate for his acquisition?

Still, as Andy Martino of SNY repeatedly stated on Wednesday, there are mood-altering methods that Maldonado possesses that can't be categorized in a box score. Does Narvaez possess the same veteran savvy? There's no way of knowing without trying, but perhaps the finicky Cole doesn't want to find out.

If the Yankees acquire Maldonado off the scrap heap, you'll know exactly where the head nod came from.

There are worse things than starting Wells four out of five games, but on the whole, this feels wildly unnecessary.