Yankees choose intriguing rotation solution after Ryan Yarbrough injury blow

When left-hander Jayvien Sandridge showed up with a locker in the Yankees' clubhouse on Sunday, it was immediately evident that an unpleasant move was coming. After all, Sandridge was recalled as a phantom earlier in the week, then went down again for Luke Weaver without ever appearing in a game.

That meant he couldn't return to MLB within a 10-day span unless there was an additional injury. As it turns out, the Yankees chose Sandridge to supplement their bullpen on Sunday and beyond, but the injury is in the rotation: Ryan Yarbrough suffered a right oblique strain, and will be placed on the 15-Day IL.

As we all know, though, an oblique strain can be highly disruptive for a pitcher, and the Yankees' rotation savior could be down a great deal more than 15 days.

Yarbrough held things down when the Yankees suffered some early-season rotation calamities. Now, it's the rest of the starting pitching group's responsibility to pick him up - and reinforcements are on the way.

Who will replace Ryan Yarbrough in Yankees rotation after trip to 15-Day Injured List?

How creative do the Yankees want to get here? The most likely option to take Yarbrough's start in Cincinnati this week seemed like JT Brubaker, who's built up for ~4 innings. The biggest issue there is ... he already appeared this weekend, relieving Clarke Schmidt at the tail end of his no-hit bid Sunday.

Marcus Stroman is still in the process of being built up on rehab, but he will be ready before too long - and isn't it ironic how pitching injuries always seem to appear at the exact moment you need to clear a rotation spot for someone else? Stroman has allowed four runs (three earned) through 6 2/3 innings across two rehab starts, striking out eight.

Of course ... there's also the most exciting option: Cam Schlittler. The surging Yankees pitching prospect is dominating Triple-A and started on Thursday, lining him up for a potential Tuesday start. That could line him up against Chase Burns, the No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft who'll be making his MLB debut for the Reds. It'll require a 40-man move, but Schlittler deserves this chance after touching 99 with his heater and posting a 2.35 Triple-A ERA.

Thankfully, the Yankees appear to have gone more interesting than Stroman, but slightly less stunning than Schlittler: according to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, it'll be Allan Winans and his under-1.00 ERA getting a big-league shot in Monday's game. It's hard to pitch better at the Triple-A level than Winans has. Hopefully, he can give the Yankees a similar shot in the arm to what Yarbrough provided while they wait for Stroman (and Luis Gil) to recover.