Temporary 6-Man Rotation Could Be Yankees' Best Bet in the Long Run

It hasn't been set in stone yet that Carlos Rodón will make his return to the New York Yankees this weekend against the Milwaukee Brewers. Sunday could be the day, but manager Aaron Boone said it isn't official.

If it becomes official, the Yankees are getting closer to needing to make an uncomfortable decision on whether they'll have to oust either Will Warren or Ryan Weathers from the starting rotation. Rodón would be taking the spot held by Elmer Rodríguez and Luis Gil, but complications arise once Gerrit Cole returns.

According to Boone, Cole needs three or four rehab starts. That's about a month away, and a lot can happen between now and then. Somebody could get hurt, making the decision much easier for them, or, if they're healthy, there's an opportunity to get creative as well.

It's not a conventional idea, but a six-man rotation is one the Yankees can toy with. At least temporarily, they can.

By Boone's estimation, Cole has a shot at returning to the big leagues by late May or early June. The six-man rotation gives them a chance at doing a few things at once. For one, if it's a temporary thing that bridges them to the All-Star break, they can use it as a way to ease Cole and Rodón back as they build up their innings. The last thing the Yankees want is for either of them to experience a setback before the postseason.

Gerrit Cole — Hudson Valley’s Kaeden Kent at bat during their game versus the Winston-Salem Dash on May 5, 2026. | Patrick Oehler/Poughkeepsie Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The next thing is less about their two frontline starters and more about Weathers and Warren. Warren had an ugly game against the Texas Rangers, but one start shouldn't be the reason he is ousted from the rotation, unless it's the beginning of his unraveling.

That seems unlikely. For now, at least.

Weathers and Warren

Warren's poor start is probably more of a young starter trying something a little different and getting poor results in real time, since his two main pitches against Texas were his sinker and fastball. Both were clobbered. The last time out, against the Orioles, who are a solid offensive team despite their record, Warren hit Baltimore with a fastball-sweeper combination and pitched into the seventh inning.

There's a chance that both Weathers and Warren continue to roll as they have, and the Yankees don't want to rattle either young starter by sending them to the bullpen or optioning them. Both would be welcome additions to just about any rotation, from the Los Angeles Dodgers to even those New York Mets across town, who are desperate for just about anybody to get them outs at this point.

A six-man rotation is one way to reward both of them. They're simply too good.

Then there's the fact that the Yankees should consider their innings, too. Warren is in a place where they would be comfortable getting him to 200 innings if he continues to pitch deep in games as he has. Sending him to the bullpen mid-season sets him back.

Weathers, unfortunately, is not in the same position. His innings need to be built up carefully since his career has been marred by injuries.

Building up Weathers properly

Weathers currently has 38 2/3 innings on the year, which is one-third more than he had for all of last season at the big league level. Those innings were accompanied by the 18 he had in the minors.

Before then, in 2024, he hit 86.2 innings with just 10.2 innings in the minors. In 2023, between the Marlins and Padres, he pitched 57.2 innings. He tossed 79.2 minor league innings as well. In 2022, Weathers saw his biggest workload. He had 123 minor league innings and just 3.2 MLB innings. In 2021, he threw 94.2 major league innings with 10 MiLB innings.

His innings have been sporadic from one year to the next, to say the least. Chances are, if the Yankees do go with a six-man rotation, it will be because they want to get Weathers to a comfortable place innings-wise and build him up right. It just doesn't seem feasible to just move him to the bullpen in a month and have to do this all again next year.

Right now, it feels more likely that if Weathers has to be moved from the rotation, he could be optioned. A bullpen move could come later in the summer if the Yankees have him hit a certain innings mark.

Of course, the big downside is throwing the rotation into flux. The Yankees like to keep their starters on a schedule, and they also have Max Fried to consider here.

It will be a tough decision either way. Some would call it a good problem to have, but it's a problem nonetheless.

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