The New York Yankees had a disappointing finish to their 2025 season. A once comfortable division lead vanished in the blink of an eye and New York was ultimately knocked out in the ALDS by the World Series runner-up Toronto Blue Jays.
The offseason for the Yankees brought injury news surrounding starting pitcher Carlos Rodon and shortstop Anthony Volpe. Add those to the injuries of ace Gerrit Cole and New York first month or two of next season could be a tough one to navigate through.
Yankees' writer Bryan Hoch revealed injury updates for the trio on Monday. According to Hoch, Rodon is not expected to return until late April at the earliest or "sometime in May" at the latest. Cole is targeting a return sometime in May/June and New York is expecting to be without Volpe through April.
So, what exactly does that do for the Yankees roster? We'll start with the pitching staff that will be without two dominant arms. New York will have to rely on both Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil, both injury prone pitchers, to not only stay healthy, but also be productive in the rotation behind Max Fried and Cam Schlittler.
As for the open spot at shortstop, that will likely be filled by Jose Caballero. Caballero was acquired prior to last season's MLB trade deadline and was extremely productive, posting a.266/.372/.456 slash line with a.828 OPS, all of which would have been career highs across a full season.
If the Yankees can get through the first month-plus of the season, the injury returns will almost feel similar to adding a free agent and New York will be in great shape to once again compete atop the American League.
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