Yankees’ center field conundrum has few appealing options: Sherman

Center field was not a Yankees issue to begin this season. Aaron Hicks, Brett Gardner and Mike Tauchman were in the majors. Greg Allen and Ryan LaMarre were stashed in the minors. Theoretically, this should have provided Estevan Florial time to make up for lost reps with no minor league season last year.

But the season is without a script. Tauchman was traded. Allen and LaMarre were injured, and neither is close to a return. Hicks hurt his wrist, probably sidelining him for the season. Florial showed he is an amalgamation of interesting tools, but not yet major league ready. That leaves Gardner — 38 in August — as not just the last center fielder standing but the oldest regular center fielder in the majors by more than 2 ¹/₂ years (Lorenzo Cain). Even in the hard-playing Gardner’s prime, the Yanks worried about overplaying him into ineffectiveness. So they cannot play him daily now. Which creates three choices: 1. Use Tyler Wade as a backup. 2. Acquire a stopgap. 3. Try to make a substantive trade now. Let’s examine these options: