Tyler Wade has put himself in a position to succeed with the Yankees

There’s no doubt that Tyler Wade can be a major contributor for the Yankees when October begins. With Giancarlo Stanton coming back from injury and working his way back into everyday playing time, Aaron Hicks still injured, and the need to rest guys and keep them fresh for a deep playoff run, there’s nothing better than having a viable piece like Wade who can be a super-utilityman.

The same way Dave Roberts caused havoc in the 2004 ALCS and World Series for the Red Sox is the same way Wade can terrorize opposing teams in this postseason. Being able to play multiple positions and run the bases well should make Wade a lock for the playoff roster.

There are undoubtedly countless quality hitters on this Yankees team, which sometimes results in Wade’s skills being taken for granted. However, he is defensively sound both in the infield and in the outfield, and his speed is up there with the best in baseball. It remains to be seen if he’ll ever be a good enough hitter to deserve a starting spot in the lineup, but he has made some recent improvements.

In his last eight games, Wade is performing extremely well with the bat. Across 16 at-bats, he is currently hitting .438 with five RBI, two walks, two doubles, one triple, and a home run. Not to mention the fact that his on base percentage is .500 to go along with a .875 slugging percentage. When you factor in his speed and defense, the Yankees have a scary weapon sitting on their bench.

The prospect of allowing him to play more with five regular season games left could pay major dividends for him in terms of sustaining his performance at the plate. He hopefully won’t be starting any postseason games, and most likely will be relegated to being a defensive replacement or a pinch runner in the latter innings of a postseason game. However, if he can keep up his recent play, the Yankees could catch lightning in a bottle and rest easy if he has to come to the plate during an important moment in October.

One thing is for certain, Wade is making a case for finding his way on the field. The Bombers would be doing themselves a major service by giving him the quality playing time he needs to allow them to get to the next level. After all, that’s what we’re all hoping for.