That relentless, unyielding mentality has helped Urshela, Tauchman, Ford, Cameron Maybin and other bargain depth players thrive. It also creates a late-season puzzle for the Yankees as they contemplate assembling their postseason roster. Good luck handicapping it now, with so much uncertainty among the injured. But the Yankees will surely be leaving off players who contributed in significant ways.
“I hope we are,” Manager Aaron Boone said, “because that means guys are healthy and making the decisions very difficult.”
Some players are not coming back, like the opening day first baseman Greg Bird (torn plantar fascia), third baseman Miguel Andujar (torn labrum) and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who retired. The missing starter Luis Severino threw 96 miles an hour in a 33-pitch rehab start on Sunday — Boone compared it to a spring training debut — and the reliever Dellin Betances will throw in the bullpen on Tuesday.
The Yankees still hope Severino and Betances can help in October, along with some combination of others on the disabled list: Urshela, Giancarlo Stanton, Edwin Encarnacion, Aaron Hicks and C.C. Sabathia. Left fielder Clint Frazier, who has started both games since his return from Class AAA purgatory, threw out a runner at the plate in Monday’s defeat and also could be a factor.
That inventory of useful talent will create its own set of challenges before long, Daniels said.
“The guy that you’re now bringing back, when he became this kind of replacement star, there was no risk involved with it, right?” Daniels said, recalling his decisions after 2014. “He was kind of the come-to-the-rescue guy. But now do you double down and invest in him knowing that the guy he replaced is coming back? Do you trade one of them? What’s your confidence level that his surgery or rehab is going to go as it’s supposed to? I remember that was a big piece of it.”
The Rangers made the moves they needed to win the A.L. West in each of the next two seasons after their injury-scarred 2014. The Yankees can put off their near-term decisions as they charge toward their first division title in seven years, but that is only one pursuit.
The race for the majors’ best record also commands their attention. The Yankees need to finish a game better than the Houston Astros to secure the top A.L. spot, because Houston won the season series between the clubs. When the Astros beat the Yankees in the 2017 A.L. Championship Series, the home team won all seven games. Both teams have been dominant at home this season: the Yankees are 51-22 after their 7-0 loss Monday, and the Astros are 51-17.