The 2025 campaign is shaping up to be a rough one for the New York Yankees, and it hasn't even started yet.
Just a few months after reaching the World Series and making some promising offseason additions, the Yankees have already been ravaged by injuries.
Gerrit Cole will miss the entire year with Tommy John surgery, Luis Gil is sidelined three months with a lat strain, Giancarlo Stanton is out indefinitely with elbow injuries and DJ LeMahieu is dealing with a calf strain, to name a few.
Those are major losses, especially in a tough AL East where the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles are on the rise.
While New York probably won't return to the World Series, this season doesn't have to be a wash.
The Yankees can use it as an opportunity to give their young players more experience and start laying the foundation for 2026.
The Yankees have a lot of fun, young, athletic talent on this team.
Jasson Dominguez, Jazz Chisholm, Austin Wells, and Anthony Volpe are a breath of fresh air. Then you hope Ben Rice can contribute.
Take top prospect Jasson Dominguez, for example.
The 22-year-old outfielder only has 26 Major League games under his belt, but he's shown promise with six home runs and six stolen bases.
With Alex Verdugo and Juan Soto gone, and Stanton hurt, New York can afford to play Dominguez and in the outfield every day and to give Ben Rice more at-bats to see what they have.
The Yankees can use this season as an evaluation period at other positions, as well.
Austin Wells was great behind the plate last year, but is he the catcher of the future?
New York can see whether he builds off his strong rookie season or regresses.
Anthony Volpe and Oswaldo Cabrera have been disappointments at the plate, but they're still young and have room to grow.
This feels like a prove-it year for both of them.
This season can also serve as an adjustment period for Max Fried and Cody Bellinger.
Playing in New York isn't easy, and even the best players (Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Beltran, etc.) often need a season to get comfortable.
That's not to say the Yankees should punt on 2025 and start playing for next year. They still have a talented team and are capable of making the playoffs. The goal, as always, should be to win a championship.
However, there's less pressure now.
Expectations have been lowered, giving Aaron Boone a longer leash with his young players.
They can have more time to work through slumps and see if they have what it takes to be long-term contributors in New York.
If they do well, great.
If not, there's always next year.
