There was very little fanfare about the Yankees' acquisition of Dustin Ackley from the Mariners before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, probably because it was all the club did after weeks of speculation about acquiring a frontline starter such as David Price. But getting Ackley may turn out to be a very big deal indeed.
Starting second baseman Stephen Drew is having bouts of dizziness, has no timetable for a return and might not be an option for the postseason roster. In the meantime, Ackley is in the middle of a nice stretch of hitting -- he had a key solo homer in the sixth inning of Sunday's 6-1 win over the White Sox -- and now could be looking at a major role at second in the days to come.