Aaron Boone Playing Starters Against Bad Teams is Pointless Even if Fans Disagree

If one word can be associated with the New York Yankees in 2019, it's "injuries." The Bronx Bombers have been decimated across the roster and had to call up a ton of backups to get the job done. Now, with the postseason on the horizon, you'd think the Yankees would play it safe by not overusing their starters, especially against lowly teams.

On Thursday, the Yankees played the league-worst Detroit Tigers in a doubleheader, as a result of Wednesday night's rainout. During both games, the Yankees lost three of their starters to injuries.

Edwin Encarnacion with a left oblique strain. JA Happ with left biceps tendinitis. Gary Sanchez with a left groin strain.

These injuries all could have been avoided by manager Aaron Boone. Why can't the team roll with a B-squad lineup against the worst team in the MLB?

Look, the Yankees winning the AL East is a foregone conclusion, especially with the Tampa Bay Rays well behind them.

As of Thursday night, New York has 12 games remaining on their regular season schedule. Now is the time to rest your important players in time for playoff action.

Instead, Encarnacion is facing a tricky oblique injury and the severity will be determined via testing in New York. Sanchez, who missed 16 games earlier this year with a left groin strain, went down with the same injury on Thursday afternoon by (of all things) attempting to steal second base.

It doesn't help that Happ's status remains cloudy, especially with the starting rotation being the Yankees' weak point heading into October. Now, the team awaits results on his tests.

All of this could have been avoided. We get it, there will be fans who want the starters to play every game. But with a team like the Yankees, who have had the injury bug breathing down their necks all season long, caution must be utilized by skipper Aaron Boone from this point on.