It's better to have a roster logjam than a roster void, so in that sense what's ahead for the Yankees isn't necessarily bad news.

First baseman Greg Bird is likely to be activated from the disabled list on Saturday after missing the entire season to date because of an ankle injury that required surgery. When healthy, Bird provides some patience at the plate and pop from the left side, so he's almost certainly going to find his way to the 25-man roster this weekend. To make room for him, the Yankees will be forced to make a difficult decision.

Now let's look at some possible paths to get Bird back on the active roster ... 

Go from 13 pitchers to 12

The Yanks on Friday activated Tommy Kahnle from the DL, which means they're presently carrying 13 pitchers. By extension, that means they have a mere three-man bench. Throw in the typical unwillingness of a manager to use his backup catcher as a pinch hitter, and that's in essence a two-man bench.

Too many teams these days go with 13-man staffs despite rarely using that eighth reliever. The Yankees, though, have a solid near-term rationale for going with a bloated staff. That's because starting Friday night they're about to play 14 games in 13 days. Given that Yankee starting pitchers this season are averaging just a bit over five innings per start -- below the AL average -- it's perhaps a big ask to make it through that stretch in 2018 with just seven relievers.

This route doesn't seem likely. 

Option Tyler Austin back to Triple-A

Austin's been a capable fill-in for Bird -- he had a slash of line of .238/.297/.535 going into Friday night's slate -- but he has options. That said, he bats righty, and he'd make a nifty platoon with Bird. As well, there be some desire to provide Bird with a "soft landing" of sorts in his return, and being the primary half of a platoon would fit that particular bill. 

Bird didn't really hit during his minor-league rehab stints, so a hedge at such a bat-first position may be in order. Keeping Austin around, at least until Bird finds his legs, seems prudent. 

Release Neil Walker

This would be a tough decision, in part because he's owed the balance of a $4 million salary. While Walker's overall numbers this season aren't good, that's because he's being dragged down by a terrible April. In May, Walker has an impressive OPS of .979.

Throw in his ability to man three different infield positions and switch-hit, and you've got a useful roster piece. Manager Aaron Boone would probably prefer to keep Walker around. 

Option Miguel Andujar

Andujar has stabilized third base in the absence of Brandon Drury and shown some pop. However, his downward trending numbers, sub-.300 OBP, and 33/3 strikeout-to-walk ratio suggest he could use some further development time. After all, he's still just 23.

Would Boone be comfortable with, say, a Walker-Ronald Torreyes (Walker's much stronger from the left side) platoon? If so, then perhaps giving Andujar a reset at Triple-A might be the path. 

As you can see, there's no obvious answer, and perhaps the Yankees over the next several hours will divine another way to get Bird back in action. For now, though, it seems like it'll be one of the four moves above.