The volcano rumbles, as Tyler Austin faces the Abyss

Like many on this godforsaken blog, I instinctively loathed the late-winter signing of utility infielder Neil Walker. It was another case of the Retrieval Empire at its grubbiest, scrounging up yet another tired veteran from the scrap heap, once again at the expense of youth. 

Walker's arrival directly threatened the playing time of three "Baby Bombers:" Gleyber Torres, Miguel Andujar, Tyler Wade, along with a slush pile of fellow travelers (Jace Peterson, Danny Espinosa, even Brandon Drury) whom the Yankees had assembled to compete for 2B and 3B. He was not viewed as a big 1B option. That position belonged to Greg Bird, the avenging angel from last October.

Walker's presence quickly killed Tyler Wade's role on the Yankees. Of course, Wade didn't help himself, going 3 for 35 in April, after winning a utility job in spring training. Wade was exiled to Scranton, where - disillusioned and depressed - he has remained in a deep coal mine accident of a slump. It's possible that he will never play another inning for the Yankees, but be converted into a Bitcoin trade chip, albeit one that has lost much of its value.

Walker also started the season in a dreadful slump. One difference, though: The Yankees had no option on him. So they stuck with him, as they always do with veterans (See 2017: Matt Holliday, Chase Headley, Chris Carter, et al) until the roofs cave in. To be fair, Walker recently snapped out of his funk, just in time to avert the eviction notice. Lately, he has hit well and provided quality at bats. 

And today or tomorrow, he will likely eliminate another Yankee rookie, another Tyler.

This time it's Tyler Austin, the mound-charging hero of Boston, who has 8 home runs and 23 RBIs, fifth on the team. His .238 average has been dropping - (it's still above Walker's .220) - and his on-base percentage has dwindled to .297 (same as Walker's.) This weekend, when Bird rightfully returns, Austin will almost surely be jettisoned to Scranton, where he can be expected to go 0 for the month of June and disappear into the ether of Central Pennsylvania. 

Listen: I get it that Austin is the logical choice to go. The Yankees need Bird's LH bat at first base. Plus, Walker plays several positions. I get it that the problem with a loaded 25-man roster is that somebody has to miss the prom. I get it that Walker is, in fact, a smart batter who contributed some big hits during the recent winning streak. It's not about Walker.

But haven't we all been wishing for a pulled hamstring, a minor injury somewhere that would keep Austin - or Clint Frazier - on this team? Frankly, I still wish the Yankees had never signed Walker. I still believe in the rookies, and - yes, you're right, who am I?, and what the fuck do I know? - I still believe that Tyler Wade on any other team would have gotten the chance to play through his rough opening, and he would now be helping this team. Instead, we have Walker.

Like I say, this isn't about Walker. It's about hording. It's about refusing to give youngsters a chance. Tyler Austin deserves better than what is about to happen. And I believe these things take a toll on the psyche of a franchise. A baseball team is a life form, an organism unto itself. For every Yin, there is a Yang. You cannot do this to people. A bad wind is blowing in.