The best bullpen in baseball also has been one of the more heavily leaned-on units across the first three months of the season.

The Yankees are proceeding carefully.

“There’s obviously a delicate balance,” pitching coach Matt Blake told Sports+ recently.

The predicament became a point of contention among the fan base last week during the Subway Series. During Wednesday’s game against the Mets, the Yankees entered the bottom of the seventh with a 3-1 lead after getting six strong innings from Gerrit Cole.