Over the course of a 162-game schedule, nearly every team needs to tap into their reinforcements at some point, viewing trades or assignments to the disabled list as opportunities for the next wave to contribute. Yet Yankees manager Aaron Boone would acknowledge that some players are more replaceable than others.
"We've certainly been tested with some of the people we've lost for periods of time," he said earlier this week. "I also think we've responded pretty well. This continues to be a tough stretch for us, having faced a little bit of adversity along the way. I feel like we've also handled it well, and the guys that we've asked to step up have.