After the season ended, it was announced that multiple players on the New York Yankees roster likely wouldn’t be ready for the 2026 season.
Everybody already knew about the injury to Gerrit Cole, but Carlos Rodon also had surgery in the offseason, and shortstop Anthony Volpe suffered a labrum tear. Volpe’s injury also required surgery.
While all three players are significant parts of the Yankees, it’s important to remember that being healthy in October is much more important than being ready for the start of the season.
According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, the Yankees expect Rodon to return in late April or early May, Cole is expected to return in May or June, and they don’t expect Volpe back in April as of now.
"The Yankees expect Carlos Rodon to return in late April or sometime in May, with Gerrit Cole targeted for May/June," Hoch wrote on Twitter/X. "They don't expect Anthony Volpe back in April."
With the idea of Cole not coming back until potentially June, that should make the Yankees go out and add another starter.
Even if Rodon were to come back sometime in April, there’s no guarantee his stuff will be as good as it once was during his first few starts.
The Yankees don’t want to go into the season with too many injury worries, so it’s better to add a couple of arms and go from there.
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