“Every time I turn on the TV and the Yankees are playing there’s some guy I’ve never heard of coming out of the bullpen.” ONE AL VETERAN

BOSTON – Who’s he?

It’s a question nobody asked a year ago when the Yankees walked off the bus. The roster fit so nicely together everyone on the team played a part significant enough to influence an outcome now and then.

Who’s he?

It’s a question often asked when these Yankees file into the clubhouse to knock another game off the schedule.

Who’s he?

He’s Clay Bellinger. Age 30, born in Oneonta, never appeared in a big-league game before this season. An infielder, he’s a career .250 hitter in the minors. Batted .224 at Columbus in 1998. Batting .143 for ’99 Yanks.

Who’s he?

He’s Tony Fossas. Age 41, born in Havana. Left-handed reliever has pitched for eight different organizations. As a Yankee, he had a 36.00 ERA in five appearances and had allowed seven baserunners by hit or walk in one inning.

Who’s he?

He’s Dan Naulty. Age 29, born in Los Angeles. Acquired during the winter from the Twins for third baseman Allen Butler. Career minor-league totals: 17-30, 4.37 ERA. Career major-league totals: 4-5, 4.59.

Who’s he?

He’s Jay Tessmer. Age 27, born in Meadville, Pa. Submarine-style reliever is 1-0, 8.81 as a big-league pitcher.

Who’s he?

He’s Mike Figga. Age 28, catcher, born in Tampa. Has been on the roster since Opening Day and has not yet appeared in a game. Is on the team only because George Steinbrenner, fond of Tampa athletes, fears if Yankees attempted to outright him to Columbus, another club would claim him on waivers.

Now that all the players in the clubhouse have been identified a better question must be asked: What are all these guys doing on the 25-man roster of the defending World Champions?

“Every time I turn on the TV and the Yankees are playing there’s some guy I’ve never heard of coming out of the bullpen,” one American League veteran said.

Depth had been such a big part of what has made the Yankees special during the Joe Torre years. Lack of it has been a big reason the Yankees have appeared so lifeless of late. The Dog Days of August have crept into May.

Tim Raines, Darryl Strawberry, Homer Bush and Graeme Lloyd are gone and not a one of them has been replaced adequately.

Having both Raines and Strawberry on the roster seemed like excess at times, though each brought a different type of bat from the left side. The switch-hitting Raines was an ideal contact pinch-hitter, Strawberry an intimidating long-ball threat.

Nobody made a fuss when Raines was allowed to sign with the A’s. Nobody really knew what the Yankees had until he was gone. If Strawberry had not played his way off the roster by venturing back onto the streets, Raines’ departure wouldn’t be as obvious.

“As far as a left-handed bat, that was supposed to be Ricky Ledee,” general manager Brian Cashman said.

Ledee looked nervous, played nervously, and hit his way back to Triple-A.

Raines, now a member of the surprising A’s bench, sure would look good back in a Yankees uniform.

So would Bush.

“Homer was terrific for us,” Cashman said. “We don’t have the speed off the bench we had last year, but we have a guy who plays more positions.”

Cashman meant Bellinger. He plays more positions than Bush, who wasn’t comfortable anywhere but at second base. Luis Sojo plays all the positions, too, and is a far better part-time player than Bellinger.

The Yankees don’t need another Sojo as much as they need another Bush, a player who did one thing well that nobody else on the bench did. Bush ran the bases in a way that disrupted the opposition.

Bush seldom played for the Yankees, but it wasn’t how often he played that made him a nice fit. It was the mosquito-like way he played that added to his value. To watch him come off the bench for the Yankees was to chug a quart of espresso. He was an instant pick-me-up for everyone.

Bush meant more to the Yankees playing less than he does to the Blue Jays playing more. Same goes for left-hander Lloyd, who was effective because he was used so sparingly, put in situations where he had an optimum chance for success.

“I listen to the talk shows and from the way people are talking you would think Homer Bush stole 30 bases for us,” Cashman said. “Don’t get me wrong. I respect what he did for us, but he had seven stolen bases. Four of them probably won ballgames for us, but if he were still here he wouldn’t be playing much.”

Two of the three anonymous relievers will be gone as soon as Roger Clemens and Jeff Nelson are activated. The fact they were with the Yankees in the first place indicates the farm system that supplied so much talent that contributed to the World Championships is running through a dry cycle.

The return of Clemens will juice the Yankees, but won’t do anything to enliven a bench that has one too many outfielders, lacks a left-handed bat and doesn’t have the speed to win any relay races.

The bench makes no sense. Time to shake it up with a couple of fresh faces, a veteran bat and a young pair of legs.