The New York Yankees officially moved Gerrit Cole to the 60-day injured list ahead of their 8-7 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Yankees let a seven-run lead slip away in the ninth inning, suffering a tough loss to the Phillies on Saturday afternoon. But beyond the late-game collapse, their biggest concern remains the growing uncertainty in their starting rotation.
The six-time All-Star is set to miss the early months of the 2025 season as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery, leaving a significant gap in the Yankees’ rotation.
The Yankees have already lined up a replacement, calling up veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to fill the void in the rotation.
Following the loss, the Yankees wasted no time in making roster adjustments, shuffling their minor league depth. They reassigned RHP Colten Brewer, RHP Geoff Hartlieb, OF Ismael Munguia, INF/OF Andrew Velazquez, and LHP Rob Zastryzny to the minor league camp.
New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole
Dave Nelson-Imagn Images
While the Yankees are working on temporary solutions for Cole’s absence, 2024 AL MVP Aaron Judge made his stance clear. Speaking with Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Judge emphasized that a pitcher of Cole’s caliber simply can’t be replaced.
You can’t replace a Cole. You can’t replace a Luis Gil. But I think we’ve got some young guys who are going to step up. We’ve still got a good ballclub here,” Judge said.
The Yankees took a big hit this spring, losing key arms like Cole and Gil from their rotation. With the season opener approaching, the team will have to rely on fresh faces to hold down the fort early on.
