The New York Yankees have a loaded roster, but they’ve failed to reach the preseason expectations this year. Rather than finding themselves at the top of the American League East, the Yankees entered Thursday in third place, trailing the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox.

Since the All-Star break, the Yankees have struggled, and the skid has fans calling for manager Aaron Boone’s job. There are quite a few rumors circulating on who could replace him.

FanSided’s Christopher Kline recently listed Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus as a potential candidate to replace Boone if the Yankees opt to fire him.

“Ausmus is pretty much your prototypical player-turned-manager,” Kline wrote. “He didn’t have much success in past stops as the head honcho in Detroit and Anaheim, but he’s a former All-Star and Gold Glove catcher with intimate knowledge of how to call a game and quarterback the defense on the field, to the extent any one player can.

“The 56-year-old is still fairly early in his coaching journey, all things considered, so the Yankees can view him as a long-term option. His established relationship with Aaron Judge and other New York stars ought to help him — both in the interview process and once he assumes Boone’s mantle. Time will tell if Ausmus can succeed with the power of Hal Steinbrenner’s checkbook behind him, but he’s a perfectly adequate and safe option. The easy pick, so to speak.”

This would be the easy solution for the Yankees, but it’s hard to imagine it works out long-term. Ausmus and Boone work hand in hand to manage the Yankees, so firing Boone to promote Ausmus wouldn’t solve any underlying issues.

This idea would simply delay the inevitable. If the Yankees are going to move on from Boone, which doesn’t seem likely, they would need to bring in a tenured manager who has respect around the league.