{"id":97209,"date":"2025-03-11T22:20:45","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T02:20:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=97209"},"modified":"2025-03-11T22:21:50","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T02:21:50","slug":"yankees-possible-bullpen-options-replace-gerrit-cole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/03\/11\/yankees-possible-bullpen-options-replace-gerrit-cole\/","title":{"rendered":"Yankee Relievers Who Could Take a Rotation Spot in Cole’s Absence"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Monday, the New York Yankees received the skin-crawling confirmation that Gerrit Cole<\/a> will miss the entire season due to Tommy John surgery. The team will need to rely further on their bullpen if additional starters are not an option.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2023 Cy Young Award winner started two World Series games last season. Cole was a freight train for the Yankees and the face of the rotation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Yankees ace was experiencing pain in his right elbow in his last spring training outing. After seeing one specialist, Tommy John surgery<\/a> was recommended, but so was a second opinion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As feared, the second opinion confirmed that surgery was needed. This puts Cole on the sidelines until next season. This minimizes the rotation options to four, as Luis Gil<\/a> is also sidelined until June.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At this point of the year, turning a reliever into a starter or hybrid pitcher may be the most efficient and feasible fix. When it comes to Cole\u2019s first scheduled start, a bullpen day may be the best showcase to audition for the role. Which bullpen options are the most suitable for the Yankees?<\/span><\/p>\n