Yankees make the roster move no one asked for to promote Carlos Rodón replacement

He was doomed eventually, given the number of high-profile pieces the New York Yankees will be welcoming back over the course of the summer, but it's strange that Spencer Jones became a roster casualty in the middle of the night on Friday.

Carlos Rodón was slated to start on Saturday up until ... 22 hours prior to Saturday's game. Instead, he became the latest Yankee to succumb to something wonky, developing "heavy" inflammation in his left elbow (while still hoping to make it back after only a week of no-throw and a short rehab). Max Fried will be back someday soon, but certainly not now. Elmer Rodríguez pitched on Thursday, eliminating the Yankees' typical spot starter.

That left the Yankees with only a slightly off-kilter move left in their bag of tricks. They promoted righty Brendan Beck, but weren't ready to declare him the starter until they saw how Friday night's game unfolded. As it turned out, Gerrit Cole outlasted a rainstorm, only the Yankees' Circle of Trust had to appear (David Bednar, Fernando Cruz, Brent Headrick, and shocking new entrant Paul Blackburn), and the Yanks were able to go about Saturday's business in straightforward manner.

But that meant subtraction from the lineup rather than the 'pen depth. Spencer Jones was the chosen casualty, and while fans likely begged for Anthony Volpe to go down for another dip, he's instead starting at shortstop on Saturday afternoon. It won't be easy to keep Volpe up here forever, though, given the roster limitations the Yankees will be staring down all summer.

Spencer Jones earns Yankees demotion over Anthony Volpe

Volpe's case is more nuanced than the angriest fans want to believe. While, yes, he hasn't shown the consistency you'd like to see out of a former all-world prospect this year, and his arm strength has been a negating factor in several double plays, there was a 20-game stretch when he was playing consistently solid ball as the rest of the lineup wilted. Now, unfortunately, he's back in a 3-for-21 slide.

Jones, on the other hand, is one of very few viable center fielders in the roster mix, and that's why the Yankees were forced to start Max Schuemann on Saturday while giving Trent Grisham a half-breather at DH.

In June, Jones shook off his first MLB stint and hit .255 with an .808 OPS and a pair of home runs. Though still boom-or-bust, he was putting up a higher caliber of at-bats the second time around.

The Yankees, apparently, are hoping the third time is the charm, as they turned a blind eye from Volpe in order to thin out their center field depth yet again.

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