New York Yankees: 5 Pennant Race Roster Moves They Should Make

The New York Yankees are still waiting to reap the rewards of a major overhaul.

Two days before beginning a three-game slate against the Boston Red Sox, the Bronx Bombers trail their nemesis by three games in the American League East. Acquiring Tommy Kahnle, David Robertson, Todd Frazier, Jaime Garcia and Sonny Gray hasn't counteracted Eduardo Nunez impersonating Alex Rodriguez for Boston.

New York's path to the division crown mainly relies on patience and better fortune. A plus-113 run differential represents the American League's second-best mark behind the Houston Astros. According to FanGraphs, that scoring margin gives them 67 expected wins, making them baseball's unluckiest squad at 59-52. 

A 12-20 record in one-run games explains this discrepancy, but those struggles are tough to understand. While luck plays a big role, bullpens are the best way to ensure success in air-tight encounters. Now boasting baseball's deepest and fiercest relief unit, the Yankees should reverse this trend.

But these are the Yankees. After hearing one fan at Yankee Stadium call Aaron Judge a bum following a strikeout, this writer has a hard time believing followers will sit back and wait for positive regression to work its magic.

So let's take a proactive approach and see what roster moves they can make to finish strong.

Don't Give Matt Holliday a Full-Time Job Back

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Matt Holliday played himself out of a full-time role before going on the disabed list.

This section would have encouraged the Yankees to bench Holliday before the veteran designated hitter landed on the disabled list with a left lumbar strain. They shouldn't save his seat while he's sidelined.

The 37-year-old was hitting .136 (11-for-81) in 20 second-half games before moving to the injury report. His season slash line cratered to .229/.319/.430, middling rates for a designated hitter. Besides, a younger and superior replacement is close to taking back his job.

Holliday's plate appearances should soon be consumed by Aaron Hicks, who is rehabbing in Triple-A. An oblique injury interrupted a breakout campaign, during which the 27-year-old was batting .290/.398/.515 with 2.7 WAR. He'll join a crowded outfield which should rotate DH duties.

At best, Holliday should serve the short stick of a first-base platoon with Chase Headley. Since Headley has hit .292 against righties but .223 versus lefties, Garrett Cooper has infrequently sent him to the bench.

A timeshare with Jacoby Ellsbury, leaving Hicks, Judge and Brett Gardner in the outfield, would also work. The left-handed Ellsbury has held his own (.268/.353/.405) against opposite-handed pitchers.

Perhaps Greg Bird will also return to the fold. According to YES Network's Meredith Marakovits, he expects to resume on-field activities this week before commencing a rehab assignment. The Yankees, however, shouldn't count on someone last seen hitting .100 (6-for-60). Last month, per NJ.com's Brendan Kuty, the young first baseman said: "I feel pain in everything I do."

There's no room for him as more than a September call-up looking to prove he's healthy for 2018. Playing Hicks is imperative. Headley and Ellsbury should only lose reps against lefties, so Holliday needs to return as the odd man out.

Bring Back Jordan Montgomery

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The Yankees sent down Jordan Montgomery after a strong start against the Cleveland Indians.

After briefly utilizing a six-man rotation, the Yankees slimmed the starting staff to five by sending down Jordan Montgomery. This shouldn't be the last New York sees of the rookie southpaw in 2017.

The 24-year-old labored in July, surrendering six runs to the Minnesota Twins on July 19 and four more in a condensed 2.2-inning outing against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 30. He also followed each blip with a bounce-back performance, keeping his season ERA at a solid 4.05. 

Montgomery has been the team's third-best starter in terms of WAR, and that's including Gray's work for the Oakland Athletics. Nevertheless, manager Joe Girardi told the New York Post's Ken Davidoff that a six-man unit wasn't practical.

"In theory, it sounds great,” he said before Montgomery's demotion. "But now you have six relievers and six starters and you get rid of one of your relievers that gives you distance, it puts you in a bind."

Even before adding Gray and Garcia, the Yankees probably didn't want the newcomer to make 30 starts. Girardi pulled him after five innings on Saturday despite throwing 65 pitches, a sign of the organization instituting an innings cap.

Girardi set the maximum mark around 180, per Newsday's Erik Boland. He went to Triple-A with 120.2 frames—including a minor league outing—under his belt.

Let him take a breather, but don't forget about Montgomery. Although Luis Severino is dealing, taking a few turns with a six-man grouping would help to avoid him reaching 200 frames in his first full season as a major league starter. Having allowed five or six runs in five of his last eight starts, Garcia represents a slight downgrade to the demoted southpaw.

If the rotation no longer has any openings, Montgomery can help in the bullpen. According to Baseball-Reference.com, he has contained lefties to a .196 average and posted a 2.56 ERA in the first inning.

It's the role he'd need to serve to make the postseason roster, so preserve his innings by trying him there in September.

Then again, this is all assuming the Yankees receive the good fortune of keeping five starting pitchers healthy for two months. CC Sabathia left Tuesday night's start with a tweaked knee and will undergo tests in New York, per YES Network, so Montgomery may rejoin the rotation sooner than anticipated.

Acquire a Low-Cost 2B

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Starlin Castro hasn't played since July 21 due to a hamstring injury.

The Yankees skillfully filled every need before the non-waiver deadline, so general manager Brian Cashman has little to do through waivers. With Starlin Castro sidelined due to an injured hamstring, second base is their biggest area of need.

Ronald Torreyes has filled in amicably, batting .287 over 77 games. As long as Castro returns soon, the Yankees will take empty average and solid defense from a replacement better served as a super utility man off the bench.

Last week, Girardi described Castro as "still a ways away," per the New York Post's George A. King III. Seeking temporary outside assistance isn't necessary. Then again, they didn't make all those July transactions to settle for a wild-card spot or miss the playoffs altogether.

They could call the New York Mets about Neil Walker or Asdrubal Cabrera. According to FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman, both cleared waivers. The Atlanta Braves have little reason to keep Brandon Phillips after promoting Ozzie Albies.

It would be an aggressive move, but perhaps one Cashman should consider if calls of the Evil Empire resurfacing are true.

Send Clint Frazier (Briefly) Back to the Minors

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Clint Frazier may need to make a brief return to the minors to make room for Aaron Hicks.

This will draw heated backlash, as Clint Frazier has quickly endeared himself to Yankees fans. Despite his sizzling start and .477 slugging percentage, the Yankees may not have another choice when Hicks returns.

Demoting Cooper—who would likely be the casualty for a healthy Holliday—wipes out the first-base platoon. With Montgomery already down, they're unlikely to demote another hurler. While fellow neophyte Tyler Wade is less deserving of a big league spot, he's also their only reserve capable of manning the middle infield until Castro returns.

Frazier, meanwhile, sports a .274 on-base percentage due to drawing five walks in 28 games. Following a torrid introduction, he's batting .230 (20-for-87) in 21 second-half games.

Rather than splitting center-field duties with Ellsbury—who's stuck on the major league roster because of his enormous salary—the 22-year-old can play every day in Triple-A.

Al Pedrique, manager of the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, told Elite Sports New York's Emmanuel Berbari and Christian Kouroupakis that Frazier still must improve his defensive fundamentals:

"[Frazier] needs to understand that you can win and lose a lot of games on defense. We [need to] work on his defense and consistency with his routes, jumps, hitting the cutoff man because if you don’t, that could cause a lot of problems with the guy on the mound."

Besides, it's only temporary. Once rosters expand in September, the Yankees will bring him back and possibly give him the everyday job over the multi-million sunk cost. It's not a popular decision, but it's the prudent one with Hicks nearing his comeback.

Gary Sanchez Should Obviously Still Catch

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Gary Sanchez didn't catch any of the Yankees' two weekend games due to defensive lapses.

On Saturday, the Yankees played Gary Sanchez at designated hitter. This is perfectly normal. On Sunday, he sat entirely, which would have been perfectly normal for a Sunday matinee if not followed by a day away from catching and a warning from Girardi.

"The start is not the message, the message came from us verbally that your defense needs to improve," Girardi said on Sunday, per the Post's King. "You need to improve and you need to work at it. We have expressed how important it is."

Message received. Now move on, because there is no conceivable galaxy where Sanchez gets benched or moved during the stretch run.

The budding star has swatted 37 home runs in 133 career games. Despite dropping off from last year's Herculean debut, the All-Star touts the position's fifth-highest WAR. 

Sanchez leads catchers in passed balls (12) and errors (10), but Baseball Prospectus grades him as a solid pitch framer. Backup Austin Romine has a .297 slugging percentage

Girardi was likely trying to motivate Sanchez, but reps are the best way for him to improve. This is, after all, his first full major league season. Stuck in heated division and wild-card battles, they have no leeway to put him on a timeout again.

Note: All advanced statistics courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.