New York Yankees Have Viable Option To Replace Injured Starting Pitcher

If the reigning AL Rookie of the Year misses time for the New York Yankees, they have a good pitcher to replace him.

Feb 14, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (0) participates in spring training workouts at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

With spring training underway for the New York Yankees, they have unfortunately been hit by the injury bug early.

The Yankees have high expectations coming into 2025 after making the World Series last year and putting together a strong offseason.

With some new additions in both the pitching staff and lineup, New York is looking like a well-balanced roster.

However, their depth is being tested.

Currently, two key players for the Yankees, Giancarlo Stanton and Luis Gil, are dealing with injuries.

Gil was recently diagnosed with a shoulder injury, which is never ideal for a pitcher. The reigning American League Rookie of the Year had an excellent campaign in 2024, and the hope was he could be the No. 3 starter this season.

Last year, he totaled a 15-7 record, 171 strikeouts and 3.50 ERA. The rookie right-hander was a big part of their success last season, but now missing time in the spring could result in him not being ready for Opening Day.

Fortunately for the Yankees, they do have some good depth in the starting rotation.

Despite plenty of rumors about trying to trade Marcus Stroman, the two-time All-Star is still with New York and could be a starter for the team to begin the campaign.

Due to his expensive contract, it was understandable why the Yankees wanted to move him before the start of the season with the potential to free up money giving them more flexibility to improve at third base.

However, with Gil now injured, Stroman is an excellent replacement for the time being.

The two-time All-Star might not have had a great first year with New York, but he was an All-Star as recently as 2023 with the Chicago Cubs.

Last season, the right-hander totaled a 10-9 record and 4.31 ERA. While it wasn’t a bad campaign overall, he really struggled in the second half of the season when his ERA was a 5.98.

While the Yankees will hope Gil doesn’t miss too much time, Stroman is more than capable of filling in.

The old saying is teams can never have too much pitching in baseball, and that is proving to be true early on for New York.

Hopefully, Gil will be back on the mound soon, but they at least as a backup plan in place if he doesn’t.