Here's Exactly What the Yankees Need to Do With the Roster When Aaron Judge Returns | TOMMY'S TAKES

The New York Yankees have one of the best problems in all of sports: they seemingly have too many productive players, especially on the offensive side of the ball. They already had to option Clint Frazier to Triple-A after the acquisition of Edwin Encarnacion and return of Giancarlo Stanton. Now, with Aaron Judge's comeback on the horizon, someone else needs to go.

Who will it be? It certainly can't be Yankee stalwart Brett Gardner. The hot-hitting Cameron Maybin has been speculated as the next to go, but he's homered in four straight games and is batting .315! How can you ditch that kind of production? Also, Gio Urshela is going to need to stay for infield depth.

So, what needs to happen?

Yankees Depth Chart (for position players)

Here's what the unit needs to look like when Judge returns (presumably later this week):

C: Gary Sanchez, Austin Romine

1B: Luke Voit

2B: Gleyber Torres

SS: Didi Gregorius

3B: DJ LeMahieu, Gio Urshela

OF: Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks, Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, Cameron Maybin

DH: Edwin Encarnacion

With how banged up the outfield has been this year, it'd be smart for the Bronx Bombers to keep these guys on the 25-man roster.

Now, here's where it gets complicated...

Yankees Pitching Depth Chart

Starting Rotation: Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, JA Happ, CC Sabathia

Bullpen: Aroldis Chapman, Zach Britton, Adam Ottavino, Tommy Kahnle, Luis Cessa, Chad Green, David Hale, Nestor Cortes Jr.

When Judge returns, sending Holder down to Triple-A is the best move. He's been terrible so far this season and could use time to work out the kinks in the minors. It's clear his stellar run for a good portion of last season wasn't exactly genuine.

But, the work isn't done here. The Yankees need to seriously revamp their pitching staff come July, and here's a hot take fans might not like: Aaron Boone absolutely NEEDS to go with a six-man rotation. Enough with the "tradition" of the five-man rotation, which isn't even truly a baseball tradition considering the arms of yesteryear used to pitch complete games multiple days in a row. Give these guys the rest they need and take pressure off the bullpen.

By the middle to the end of July, here's what the pitching staff should look like, assuming everyone comes back from injury on time:

Starting Rotation: Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, JA Happ, CC Sabathia, Domingo German, Luis Severino

Bullpen: Aroldis Chapman, Zach Britton, Adam Ottavino, Tommy Kahnle, Chad Green, Nestor Cortes Jr.

A six-man rotation would do wonders. Tanaka pitches better on extra rest, while Paxton, Severino, German and Sabathia could also use the extra day considering they've all dealt with injuries this year and, let's face it, that problem isn't going away for the Yanks this year.

Green and Cortes have proven they can pitch multiple innings, so they can be used in the event of a disastrous outing or a blowout in favor of the Yanks. Given the starters will have an extra day of rest, Boone will be more inclined to keep them in for an extra inning or two, which would also take pressure off the bullpen.

Let's also not forget, the Yankees can always use one of these starters (possibly Sabathia or German) in long relief and revert back to a five-man rotation if the situation calls for it. Boone will have plenty of ways to make adjustments as he sees fit.

This doesn't sound entirely conventional, but it's the best option for the Yankees once they return to full health if they want to maximize their talent and efficiency.