How Does the Yankees Rotation Look Without Gerrit Cole?

It seems the injury bug is making its way to the Yankees’ troop again this year. Coming off an injury-ridden 2023 season, the team has been bracing itself even ahead of spring training. Unfortunately, the looming concern of injury again comes up as a threat for the team, with their ace Gerrit Cole’s elbow injury, sidelining him for at least three to four weeks.

Cole was subjected to being on the opening day roster for his fifth consecutive year. But the odd injury bug became the biggest threat just a few days ahead of the regular season. Now, as the icon will be sidelined for quite a few weeks, who will replace him on opening day? This is probably the biggest discussion happening now within the Yankees’ officials.

Will the team enter the regular season, being incomplete?

The team will compete against the Houston Astros on March 28, marking their entry into the regular season. Now, as one of their biggest strengths, Gerrit Cole, will be sidelined, they are likely to be pivoting. Nestor Cortes Jr. will be the starter against the Astros, followed by Carlos Rodon and Marcus Stroman in the second and third positions, respectively.Apart from that, Stroman will be the home opener of the Yankees on April 5 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The team’s star pitcher, Cole, was diagnosed with nerve inflammation and edema in his right elbow, as he mentioned on Saturday. According to Dr. Neal ElAttrache, Cole will need a minimum of three to four weeks to fully recover. Though he isn’t suffering from the usual elbow issue of torn UCL and will not be on PRP injections, he is advised to “just rest and recovery” for the next three to four weeks to get back his usual form.

When talking about his injury, the iconic pitcher remarked, “We just got a little too hot a little too quick in spring,” emphasising the reason behind his injury. However, he seemed confident enough while talking about his recovery process as he said, “You’re going to keep the arm live for the next three, four weeks and then hit the ground running,” revealing his plan for the next three to four weeks. Donning his shield of confidence, Cole spoke highly to demonstrate his conviction on Saturday at Steinbrenner Field. However, irrespective of the heightened confidence of the star, the concern remains intact as the team is suffering from a lack of depth in their pitching segment, and Cole’s absence will pose a significant challenge in front of them. What’s their further plan to cope with the same?

Read More: New York Yankees Gamble on Gerrit Cole’s Return, Is a Star Signing Needed Amidst Injury Crisis?

Will the Yankees opt to increase their pitching depth?

The entire off-season was pretty tumultuous for the Yankees as they consistently strived to increase their pitching depth, signing iconic pitchers. However, it seems that their chase hasn’t finished yet, with them losing their star pitcher, Cole, for a few weeks. Now, as the team is focusing on their remaining strength, will they make any additional inclusions to ensure depth?

Seemingly it will not be the scenario for the Yankees any soon. As the team’s general manager Brian Cashman stated, “I feel good about our internal options,” emphasising their remarking strength for the fifth-starter position. Giving the potentiality, Luis Gil, Will Warren, Clayton Beeter, Cody Poteet and Luke Weaver can become the probable options for the team to fill the gap. However, at the same time, the GM didn’t forget to mention their association with the external market, stating, “At the same time, it’s never stopped us from having external conversations regardless,” given the fact that Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery are still available in the market. What will be the probable decision of the team? Only time has the answers.

Read More: New York Yankees’ Massive Pitching Questions Loom Large, Despite Gerrit Cole’s Injury Relief