The New York Yankees Are All of a Sudden at a Disastrous Crossroads Because of Injuries

In the wake of losing Juan Soto, the Yankees were supposed to be carried by their pitching. Now, it's a staff in tatters after the latest news on Luis Gil and Gerrit Cole.

New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) warms up during a spring training workout at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees are at a very dangerous crossroads. All of a sudden, the team that is hoping to get back to the World Series, and win it, is staring down the reality of maybe not even getting into the playoffs.

That's how dire this is.

Sure, the Yankees saw MVP finalist Juan Soto and former closer Clay Holmes leave in free agency, but they were built to withstand that after adding Devin Williams, Max Fried, Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt.

With Fried joining high-priced aces like Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole, as well as reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, the Yankees were supposed to have good enough pitching to withstand the loss of Soto.

And now, all hell has broken loose. Gil is out for multiple months with a lat issue, and Cole is "concerned" about his elbow and has had imaging done on it.

Gerrit Cole said he is “concerned” about what the imaging on his right elbow will show. He expects to know more in the next couple of days. “I’m hoping for the best.”

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 8, 2025

If he's out for a substantial amount of time, the Yankees are looking at a starting rotation that could feature the likes of Marcus Stroman and Carlos Carrasco. It's no slight on them, they've had fabulous careers, but the Yankees were simply built with different rotation pieces in mind.

Overcoming the loss of one is tough, but doable, but if 2/5 of that rotation is absent, the Yankees road to October gets much harder. If you think that sounds fatalistic, it's not: The American League East is loaded, with the Red Sox ready to take the next step, the Rays finally healthy and the Orioles still lurking as a 91-win team from a year ago.

With those teams in competition, plus the Royals, Tigers, Rangers, Guardians, Astros and Mariners? The wild card battle seems to be a bear as well.

The Yankees will continue to hope for good news on Cole, as the fate of their season could rest on it.

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