We have no idea how serious A.J. Burnett‘s injury really is. Maybe skipping a start is just a precaution, but there has to be legitimate reason for concern. Already the rotation has lost Andy Pettitte, Javier Vazquez continues his inconsistent season and Dustin Moseley is a great story, but so was Chad Gaudin a year ago. Again, a month ago we talked about Cliff Lee as excess and its clear Brian Cashman was correct in not buying into that rhetoric. These are the times you rely on the depth of the farm system. That is why it’s time to see the homegrown kids – Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain – step up and perform their roles. Concerns about the starting rotation won’t impact the regular season – Baseball Prospectus had the likelihood of playoff games at Yankee Stadium at 86% going into last night’s action- but there is a real possibility that Phil Hughes is going to be asked to take the ball in the postseason. That means that Joba Chamberlain will also be asked to get big outs in the bullpen.

Even if Burnett is healthy do you trust him in the postseason? It’s hard to argue that Sabathia, Pettitte, and Hughes are the top three starters with Vazquez/Burnett a Game 4 Wild Card. The plan wasn’t supposed to be this way. Hughes was going to the bullpen because of innings limitations and would take on the setup role from Chamberlain. That would address the shaky bridge to Rivera. Now it’s clear that Chamberlain will still be that guy unless Kerry Wood finds a fountain of youth the next six weeks. Even if he does, there is still going to be a need for Joba to play a key role.

Dustin Moseley is a great story this morning. The real story is how Hughes/Chamberlain are going to need to step up at some point this year in order for this team to win. They got away with three starters last year. They also survived shaky bullpen appearances by both. Both Hughes and Chamberlain have been pretty good of late. It needs to continue in order for the ultimate goal, a championship, to be realized.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

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Tags: A.J. Burnett, Cliff Lee, Dustin Moseley, Joba Chamberlain, Kerry Wood, New York Yankees, Phil Hughes