Team Prescription

Okay, so some things are working out, and some things aren't.

The good news: The Yankees are in first place. That's not nothing. It's pretty much June and there they are with a slim lead in the AL East. This is looking very much like a division that can be won by a team that isn't great, which is really good news for the 2015 Yankees.

Michael Pineda and Adam Warren are pitching really well most of the time. Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller are ridiculous. Mark Teixeira is hitting like he's supposed to. Mr. Rod has found the Fountain of Something and is doing unexpectedly well. Even Carlos Beltran just had a 15-game hitting streak. Brian McCann, although he still allows a passed ball at least once a game, is hitting home runs again. All good.

The bad news: Jacoby Ellsbury is already hurt. So is Masahiro Tanaka, although he's allegedly coming back next week. Didi Gregorius, whom everyone told us is not Derek Jeter, is proving that in spades. I haven't seen him much before this year, but from what I'm hearing, he's not even Didi Gregorius now.

CC Sabathia has not returned to form, no matter what David Cone and Michael Kay want you to believe. Nathan Eovaldi is something, but we don't know what. (What's today?) We're still sending Chris Capuano out every fifth day. That's not good.

So given all that's going on, what should be happening with these Yankees, preferably sooner rather than later?

1. Stephen Drew should be on his way to the airport: It was an understandable experiment, but it hasn't worked. You can't tell me that Rob Refsnyder's defense is so bad it won't make up for the fact that he'll hit at least 100 points higher than Drew, play some kind of second base, and shore up at least some of the last third of the lineup. Nice knowing you, Stephen. Maybe we can get a batting practice machine for you.

2. Has anybody checked on Ivan Nova?: It's reported that he threw 62 pitches a couple of days ago. Is a rehab assignment far behind? Anything's better than Capuano, and even if Tanaka returns and is healthy, there's no guarantee he's going to stay that way. Nova has been really good when he's healthy. If he's ready--and that's a big "if"--he can help.

3. Can Jose Pirela play shortstop?: Not full-time, but he could perhaps platoon with Sir Didi (or has his knighthood been revoked?). As a right-handed batter, he's got to be better, and since Didi's defense has not been the miracle we were led to expect, it's worth the try.

4. Maybe two plane tickets are cheaper than one.: David Carpenter isn't working out. Betances and Miller are doing very well indeed, and Esmil Rogers and others in the bullpen are holding their own, but Carpenter is the one pitcher causing groans when Girardi signals for him. Again, you take your chances and you see what happens, but we've seen what happens. Enough.

5. Let Slade Heathcott play some centerfield: If he's healthy. Word was yesterday there was a strain somewhere or another, and with this player, that could mean he's back tonight or we never see him again. But he could be a long-term answer in right field maybe, if the Yankees want a complete outfield without much power. It's time to let some of the younger guys show us what they can do.

6. Let John Ryan Murphy catch a little more.: The key words there are "a little." McCann is hitting pretty well, but the defensive catcher we were promised a year and a half ago appears to have stayed in Atlanta. How many times have we heard, "and it gets by McCann" this year? Maybe he just needs a little more rest. When there's a tough righty on the mound, let Mr. Rod sit down and DH McCann.

7. Find a dependable backup infielder.: How hard can that be? We're not talking about Tulowitzki here. Just someone who doesn't make a fan moan in anticipation of his entering the game and who won't get hurt every 20 minutes. Is that so much to ask?

8. Take Sabathia out after the sixth.: He always looks good early in the game. The "one bad inning" is usually the seventh. I don't care if the man has a no-hitter going: If the Yankees have a lead of anything less than five runs, Sabathia needs to be a five- or six-inning pitcher, all the time.

*Stuff for the trade deadline:

1. Another starting pitcher. Doesn't have to be Cole Hamels. In fact, it probably shouldn't be Cole Hamels. An innings eater. A strike thrower. Someone who'll keep you in the game without necessarily striking out 15. Don't give away the farm (team); just a Brandon McCarthy type, the sort of thing Cashman is especially good at. Expect that in late July.

2. A replacement for Chris Young. It's looking like the boost that Young got from leaving Queens has worn off. Time for a stronger, hopefully more powerful, fourth outfielder.

3. A second baseman. If the A's keep doing this badly, Ben Zobrist might become available. If the Yankees are positive Refsnyder can't handle the position yet, somebody has to. It can't be Stephen Drew if this team is going to make the playoffs.