With so much frustration surrounding last night’s game, it’s easy to let something positive fall through the cracks. There was something of that nature last night for the Yanks, and his name is Damaso Marte. After retiring the only two batters he faced Friday, he came in to record the last out of the seventh and then retired the Rangers in the eighth. He did this with aplomb, striking out two batters in those 1.1 innings while issuing just one walk — a strategic one of the four-pitch variety, putting the dangerous Michael Young on in favor of Josh Hamilton, whom Marte fooled with a breaking ball for strike three.

The Red Sox just picked up Billy Wagner to help strengthen their bullpen. The Yanks have added Marte. On their best days, Marte isn’t at Wagner’s level, but their recent injuries might level the playing field a bit. Wagner, after all, is just 11 months out from Tommy John surgery and was concerned about his potential workload in Boston. Marte is also coming off injury, though of a less defined nature. He’s battled shoulder inflammation most of the year, but by all accounts the ailment wasn’t serious enough to consider surgery.

It’s tough to pin too many hopes on Marte. We’ve only see him throw two innings, but those two innings were pretty impressive. His fastball has been working, hitting 93 much of the time, though last night he did drop down to about 91 for a few pitches (on Friday he threw 93 most of the time) and his breaking stuff seems just fine. By all early appearances, Marte might be the guy the Yanks hoped he was when they signed him to a three-year, $12 million contract this off-season.

On Tuesday, we got the latest word in the Damaso Marte saga: the lefty could rejoin the team in Boston this evening. Yes, Joe Girardi said “might,” but why would he say it at all unless it was the likely move? Marte, if healthy, could even further upgrade a bullpen that’s been among the best in the league over the last few months. In fact, because the bullpen has been so good, and because the Yankees need some extra arms in order to accommodate Joba Chamberlain’s innings limit, they might have some difficulty shuffling things around in order to make room for Marte.

The only two options for demotion in the pen are David Robertson and Phil Coke. Robertson’s been pitching awful well lately, and it’s doubtful he goes at this point. Coke has had his struggles, but he’s also been an effective option out of the pen. Plus, both Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman have expressed their desire to have two lefty options, something they’ve essentially lacked all season. With Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre needed in the rotation, it looks like no one on the pitching staff will get demoted.

That leaves one name: Ramiro Pena. He’s a useful player to have around. He can play all around the infield, and the Yanks think he can handle the outfield. His bat isn’t anything to brag about, but he doesn’t look completely lost up there. He can also pinch run. In other words, he’s a serviceable utility guy. The Yankees have another player like that, Jerry Hairston, and they might opt to use just one utility player for the rest of August rather than deplete their pitching staff.

Thankfully, the month is almost over. The Yanks play three in Fenway, then have a day off before playing the final seven games of the month. After that they can have up to 40 men on the active roster, meaning they can recall Pena if they so desire. It might hurt to have a short bench, but it’s only for 10 games. With the off-days surrounding the Boston series, the starters should be fresh enough to handle it. Even if they’re not, the Yanks can deploy super-sub Hairston.

The most interesting part of the next 10 games will be how the Yankees use Marte. No, they won’t use him in a tight spot over the weekend, but they’ll have to get him some work so they can gauge how useful he’ll be down the stretch. We’ve been saying it since the man went on a rehab assignment: a healthy Marte makes this bullpen perhaps the best in the league.

On May 4, the Yankees placed Damaso Marte on the 15-day DL, retroactive to April 26, after seven pretty poor performances. The injury was termed tendinitis and weakness in his left shoulder. That’s never good news, especially for a guy who came back from the WBC nursing an injury. The outlook grew a bit bleaker when Marte took a trip to Dr. Andrews’s office in Alabama, but the good doctor didn’t find anything wrong. That was in mid-June. We’re now in mid-August, and we still haven’t heard anything about Marte returning any time soon.

Marte’s rehab assignment began on July 16 when he pitched an inning for the GCL Yankees. He then moved up to AAA Scranton, where he’s made 10 appearances so far. In his last 5.1 innings he’s allowed two hits, walked three, and struck out four, allowing no runs. It would seem from the results that he’s near a return. But, again, we haven’t heard anything to that effect from anyone. Just how long will Marte stay on this rehab assignment?

MLB rules allow for rehabbing players to play in the minors for 30 days. Since Marte first appeared on July 16, his clock started then. Today marks Day 27, so unless the Yankees pull him off the assignment for some reason, he’ll have to rejoin the team by Monday, in Oakland. It’s strange that he’s so close, yet the Yankees have been tight-lipped about his return.

If they were so inclined they could pull the same move they did with Humberto Sanchez last year. When his rehab clock was almost up they shut him down with another injury. When he finally got back into games, his clock re-started. Marte, of course, is a different situation. He’s a major league vet, and unlike Sanchez last year, the Yankees would be bringing him right back on the 25-man roster, whereas Sanchez would have been optioned to the minors. The move doesn’t seem likely, but it can’t be ruled out.

Assuming Marte does come back on Monday, as per his rehab clock, what move would the Yankees make to free up a roster spot? Would they dare option David Robertson while he’s pitching so well? Phil Coke? Would they go with 13 pitchers until rosters expand on September 1 and option Ramiro Pena? Those seem like the only three possible moves, and for one reason or another neither seems particularly palatable.

We’ll soon find out the Yankees plan. Until then all we can do is wonder. It sure would be nice to finally see some productivity out of the reliever to whom the Yanks committed three years and $12 million. If he can produce at anywhere near his previous levels, he’ll be a tremendous asset to the Yankees down the stretch.