Drury is probably not one of the nine best hitters in the Yankee organization. In fact, he’s probably not the best MLB player on the Triple-A Scranton Railriders–that honor goes to Clint Frazier–but he is perhaps better than Tyler Austin.

I’ve always been a big Tyler Austin fan. He’s always been a bit of an underdog. As a 13th round pick with only average tools, Austin has surprised with his ability to produce at every level. I remember his breakout age-20 season, where he not only hit .322/.400/.559, but also stole 23 out of 25 bases. I remember his struggles with injuries throughout the next few seasons, only to recover his career in 2016. Austin has always hit better than anyone thought he could.

However, he hasn’t hit well in the major leagues. Sure, there’s power. Austin is slugging .483 in 2018 with eight home runs, some of which have come in big moments. However, he’s striking out at a massive 41% clip, which is third-worst in the majors. As an okay first baseman, Austin has no defensive value either. He’s a replacement player.

Brandon Drury is better than a replacement player. Not only is he likely a better hitter than Austin right now, but he can play all over the diamond. Miguel Andujar deserves the bulk of the playing time at 3rd base due to his hitting, but Andujar has not been strong on defense. Drury could replace him late in games when the Yankees are leading. He could also play 1st, 2nd, and OF when needed. Overall, he gives the Yankees options.

I know that this isn’t an exciting swap. However, the Yankees and Red Sox are so close this season that one or two runs could be the difference between being forced to play the Wild Card game against a vastly inferior but potentially lucky team and winning the AL East. They can’t afford to carry a 41% strikeout player on their roster right now, even if a lot of us fans like the guy. Brandon Drury needs to be called up to the major leagues.

EJ, Paul, and Andy discuss the fallout of the two rainouts against Washington, the Brandon Drury demotion, the Supreme Court’s decision to allow states to legalize sports gambling, Clint Frazier’s promotion to the major leagues, and where Gleyber Torres should bat.

This dilemma is more than taking care of Drury’s scary health concerns. The young players on the roster that have filled in, namely Miguel Andujar and Tyler Austin, further complicate what the Yankees should do next. Drury was acquired to be the team’s third baseman, at least until Andujar or Gleyber Torres was ready, which has come sooner than perhaps expected. Regardless of the front office’s preferences, decision day looms. What are some of the possibilities?

Option Tyler Austin, Miguel Andujar, or Ronald Torreyes

All three of Austin, Andujar, and Torreyes have made significant contributions at the major league level this season, so it wouldn’t be easy to eschew any of them.

With Greg Bird out, Austin has been an excellent fill-in at first base. He’s hit .254/.329/.549 (.281 TAv), which is far more than anyone could have asked for. That being said, there are a few drawbacks. He’s limited to first base defensively and isn’t anything special there anyway. He strikes out a lot (38.1% in his short big league career) and his .351 BABIP sure seems inflated. Austin profiles more as a platoon bat too, and with Neil Walker starting to heat up, Austin might not have much playing time coming his way anyway.

Andujar has been an exciting doubles machine since he took over at the hot corner. Despite his impressive pop, there are a few things that could make him the guy to go back down to the minors. He has cooled down a bit, with his batting line down to .274/.291/.491 (.274 TAv). The telling number in that triple-slash is his low on-base percentage thanks to a minuscule 2.4 percent walk rate. On the other side of the ball, his defensive reputation isn’t great. So, as tantalizing as is vicious swing is, some more work in Triple-A might not be the end of the world as his extremely aggressive approach could use some refinement.

I can’t imagine that this would go over well in the clubhouse, but Torreyes could be the odd man out if the Yankees decide that Drury is a good fit as the utility infielder going forward. Is Drury a better hitter than Torreyes? Definitely. But sending Toe down could deplete the morale, and it’s not like upgrading at utility infielder is something the Yankees desperately need to do.

Option David Hale or waive A.J. Cole

Right now, the Yankees are fielding an eight-man bullpen. The problem is that only six of those guys are ever used. Hale hasn’t pitched since he was brought back on May 2nd, and Cole has appeared once since his acquisition on April 24th (he pitched on the 28th). At this point, the Yankees can probably get by with seven pitchers in the ‘pen considering they never use Hale or Cole.

Dumping Hale is the easier move because he still has an option remaining, so the Yankees could stash him in Triple-A. Cole, on the other hand, has no minor league options and can’t simply be sent to Scranton. That’s exactly the reason why the Nationals had to trade him a few weeks ago, as they couldn’t just send him to the minors.

Though neither pitcher has a long-term future with the Yankees, it probably makes more sense to send out Hale in order to maintain depth in the minors. Cole wouldn’t be a big loss, but there’s the risk of losing him to another club if he’s the roster casualty for Drury.

Option Brandon Drury (or return him to the disabled list?)

Here’s a somewhat outside the box choice. When the end of the week comes, the Yankees could send Drury back to the minors. He still has options, and it might make sense to let him continue his recovery in minor league action. After all, just because his rehab window is nearing completion doesn’t mean he couldn’t use more time in less meaningful game action to get back to full strength. Drury himself doesn’t sound too confident about being ready soon, anyway:

“On the disabled list a full month as of [yesterday], Drury admitted that he’s still dealing with blurry vision and severe migraines, and he predicted that “it’ll take some time” before he’s ready to rejoin the Yankees.

How much time?

Drury offered a blank stare when he was asked that question.

He then was asked if it could take weeks or months.

“I’m not sure,” Drury responded.”

One caveat is that if he’s not one hundred percent, I’m not so sure the Yankees can simply end the rehab assignment and subsequently option him to the minors. Depending on what the rules are, he might need to be put back on the disabled list in order to continue his recovery. Optioning him to the minors in what would essentially be an extended rehab assignment probably wouldn’t sit well with the Players Association.

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If I had my druthers, and assuming that Drury is ready to go, I would drop either Hale or Cole. None of the position players deserve a demotion and having an eight-man bullpen seems redundant. Given Drury’s recent statements, though, the major league roster could remain status quo after this weekend. Taking care of his health is obviously top priority, and if he needs more time to recover, so be it. Kicking the can down the road wouldn’t be the worst route.

Photo credit: Jonathan Dyer / USA TODAY Sports