It was not a long time ago when the Yankees’ starting rotation looked so promising. It had all the potential required to be one of the best in baseball. The rotation was stacked with stars like Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Luis Gil, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt, and Marcus Stroman. The Yankees had every reason to be positive. Fast forward to the present; that optimism is now replaced by a sinking feeling. The promising rotation now looks like a patchwork experiment.
On the latest episode of Talkin’ Baseball, insiders laid out how bad things could go for the Yankees. And the biggest gut punch was losing Cole—the soul of the pitching staff. An insider admitted, “It sucks!” He added, “He’s one of the most fun pitchers to watch in baseball. He gives us a ton of content… and he’s been excellent for them.” Fair enough. After all, the Yankees’ rotation was built around Cole’s dominance and now, the team is left juggling.
During the Spring Training this year, the 34-year-old faced discomfort in his pitching elbow, and the MRI revealed the damage to his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). As a result of this, the pitcher has undergone Tommy John surgery on March 11, and is expected to be out for the entire season.
Moving on, Luis Gil had a great shot at stepping up until the time he struggled with a high-grade lat strain. And if you know anything about it, it’s one of the complicated ones. Insider pointed this out too, saying, “Those are always difficult to come back from.”
Gil is expected to be out for at least six weeks owing to the intensity of his strain. And if history is anything to go by, then we might be looking at an even more extended period. Last year, Clarke Schmidt suffered from a similar injury, which occurred on May 30. But he could only a return to the diamond in September. So, Yankee fans, let’s keep our fingers crossed.
And if that was not it, there’s also a lingering question regarding Clarke Schmidt. The 29-year-old came out strong last year but unfortunately faded down the stretch, as he could only make three playoff appearances after he came back from his injury. “The second half was not as good.” Well, the insider indicated that it’s the inconsistency that makes relying on him a gamble. Then comes Carlos Carrasco, who wasn’t even in the Yankees’ plans until late spring training. Now, that should tell you all you need to know about the level of desperation here.
For now, the Yankees rotation has gone from potential powerhouse to giant question mark in no time.
Yankees struggle to see returns on their high-priced rotation in 2025
The opening day is right around the corner, and the dream rotation is falling apart. “On paper, it was pretty amazing,” Carlos Rodón stated after his final spring training start the other day. The series of injury setbacks has pushed Rodon into the Opening Day starter role. It’s a responsibility he didn’t see coming.
He expressed, “Obviously, it’s an honor to start Opening Day, but the circumstances I’m not happy with. I’d rather have Gerrit Cole healthy. He’s our ace. He’s our rock.” As the Yankees rotation is facing uncertainty, the fourth and fifth spots are yet to be solidified. For now, two leading candidates to fill in the shoes are Carlos Carrasco and Will Warren.
But looking at Schmidt’s delayed readiness, manager Aaron Boone took into consideration the need for alternative strategies. Boone explained, “I don’t want to rule him out, but yes, it’s likely we’ll have to find another way [aside from spring starts] to build him up.”
At this point, even substantial financial investments can’t guarantee immunity from injuries. For now, the Yankees are trying to navigate these early challenges and they’re trusting their depth to stay competitive.
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