Yankees rotation shake-up highlights Aaron Boone’s big-picture strategy

After enjoying two off days in a five-day stretch, the New York Yankees are using the rare breather to reset their starting staff and sneak in a little extra rest. Rather than push their arms through a tighter cycle, manager Aaron Boone is opting to stretch things out, inserting Ryan Yarbrough back into the rotation on Wednesday after briefly skipping his turn.

That means the Yankees will go with Will Warren on Tuesday night for the series opener against the Texas Rangers. He’ll already be pitching on six days’ rest, and then turn to Yarbrough the following day, keeping the rest of the rotation on that same sixth-day schedule.

It was a calculated move that allowed Clarke Schmidt and Max Fried to stay lined up for the high-stakes Subway Series last weekend and then set them and Carlos Rodon up for an extra day this turn through the rotation.

“Picking our spots to where we still value that sixth day when we can have it with some guys,” Boone told reporters on Sunday. “The way things line up makes sense.”