Gerrit Cole is confident the New York Yankees' rotation remains strong heading into the 2025 season, but he acknowledged they have taken a hit. After his first Yankees spring training start, Cole gave a succinct response when asked about the potential loss of the 2024 American League Rookie of the Year.
"Yeah, just bummed," Cole told the YES Network's Meredith Marakovits when asked about Luis Gil being shut down with shoulder tightness. "Hope he's all right."
Cole looked sharp in his Grapefruit League debut. The right-hander struck out five over 3 1/3 innings against the Blue Jays on Feb. 28.
He will anchor a rotation that will likely be without Gil, who was scheduled for an MRI on March 1. Clarke Schmidt has also been slowed by a "barking" back this spring, and Carlos Rodón's first two spring starts have raised concerns. The addition of left-hander Max Fried certainly helps.
The Yankees also have veteran Marcus Stroman, who had been on the trade block coming into camp.
"Yeah, we have a good mentality as a team about that: next man up. We did a fantastic job with it last year," Cole said. "So you know, I expect us to roll with the punches however they come out this year."
Seeing Cole look strong in his first spring outing was a big relief for Yankees fans.
After throwing a career-high and major league-leading 209 innings in 2023, Cole did not make his 2024 debut until June 19 due to inflammation in his right elbow. He made just 17 regular-season starts, pitching 95 innings while striking out 99 and walking 29. He finished 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA.
Cole was not as dominant as in 2023,when he struck out 222 and walked just 49.
Some underlying numbers in 2024 were concerning. His fastball velocity continued to decline, down nearly three miles per hour from 2022. He also had a harder time generating swings and misses, particularly outside the strike zone.
