Heading deep into May, the Yankees are a team in transition

Unless something barks - a corpuscle, a carbunkle, a clickittyclack, whatever - DJ LeMahieu will return tonight in Seattle, facing a big RH with an ERA north of 5.00 by the white bread bigwig, constitutional scholar name of Emerson Hancock. 

DJ will be back for a 1) tryout, 2)  peek, 3 looksee, 4, gender reveal, 5) all of the above. Let's hope whatever deal he brokered with Mephistopheles, it lasts four to eight weeks, coinciding with Satan's contract for Jazz Chisholm's ribcage. 

The Yankees - tied with Cleveland with the 2nd best record in the AL - are a team in FOR BETTER OR WORSE FLUX. 

Consider... 

1. For better or worse, LeMahieu is back. Don't drop the balloons. Don't roll the credits. The Conclave is not over, no white smoke wafting from Boone's porno office. Next month, DJ turns 37, the age of liver spots and skin tags. Last year, he tanked: .204 with 2 HRs. Still, his career BA stands at .289, and he rightfully deserves a decent drink of water, especially when Jorbit Vivas has an option remaining and Pablo Reyes remains on the roster.  

The less we expect, the better DJ looks. Thanks to Chisholm's snarling oblique, we have an easy insertion point: 2B. It's DJ's best position, we need a RH bat, Jazz is gone, and nobody stepped forward to claim the opening. (Oswald Peraza's HR might have bought him another month of Yankihood.) Just close your eyes and remember 2020: (He hit ..364.) Let LeMahieu play, until he proves he cannot. When Jazz returns, we can ponder DJ at 3B. For now, let him bat 9th. Let him draw walks, move runners and force pitch counts. 

Mr. LeMahieu, sir: We owe you a shot. Here it is.

2. For better or worse, Stanton is coming. He's 35 and - love him or hate him - he's still fresh from last October, when he was the best hitter anywhere not named Freddie Freeman. One problem, though: He couldn't run. 

It hasn't yet been settled that his horrible mobility has improved. His elbows might be okay, but what about the stems?

If Stanton cannot run, he becomes the biggest base path liability in all of baseball. He will be constantly thrown out. Still, the Yankees have no option, aside from putting him in and seeing what happens. 

We love Ben Rice - his grand slam yesterday adds to his mom's scrapbook - but there is no platoon for him, unless Kent Tekulve comes out of retirement and joins an opposing rotation. When Stanton arrives, Rice will sorta disappear. 

3. For better or worse, the Yankees will stick with Devin Williams. Let's not sugarcoat this. The bullpen is in DEFCON 4. Whenever the Yankees lose, it's always the same: a winnable game, blown in the late innings by an exploded bullpen. The Yankees have tried Williams in several roles. None has worked. He does not seem to be improving. 

But at least for now, the Yankees have no option beyond Williams. Over the last two years, he was one of baseball's best relievers. This year, cannon fodder. (But keep in mind, Caleb Durbin - whom we traded - is hitting .203 with 1 HR. And Nestor Cortes remains on the injured list, 1-1 with an ERA of 9.00.) At some point, maybe July or August, some young fireballer will emerge from the farm system. (It's like Hollywood IT Girls: There's always one on the horizon.)  Until then, it's Williams. Deal with it.

In a few weeks, Jonathan Loaisiga might return. (There is no guarantee here, and Loaisiga's history is full of injuries and setbacks.) He could be a huge boost. Or not. Maybe we're just stuck in flux.