The Yankees are heading into the stretch with a rotation that looked formidable on paper and suddenly feels a lot thinner in practice.
Max Fried is going back on the injured list with a bone bruise in his throwing elbow, the same issue that already cost him two months earlier this season. That leaves New York trying to sort out its pitching plan again, and the timing is rough.
Will Warren is expected to remain in the rotation, while Carlos Rodon is set to come off the IL and start Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles.
The bigger problem is how this all landed after the trade deadline. The Yankees needed help on the mound, but general manager Brian Cashman did not add the kind of pitching reinforcements the club needed. FanSided’s Chris Landers argued Tuesday that Cashman made a major mistake by not bringing in multiple relievers.
A healthy Yankees rotation would still look intimidating. Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, and Ryan Weathers make up a group that, at full strength, could rank among the best in baseball.
“But of course, that rotation doesn't exist in a vacuum. Brian Cashman put the Yankees in a position where they had to be overly reliant on their starting pitching depth to make a deep postseason run - not just to buoy an offense that's currently flailing, but to remake a bullpen that got hung out to dry at the trade deadline,” Landers wrote.
The expectation had been that one of Weathers or Warren, maybe both, would slide into the bullpen once October arrived. Fried’s injury changes that picture completely, because now both pitchers are needed in the rotation.
That matters even more because Weathers has been one of the best starters in baseball for more than a month. Still, the Yankees’ decision to stand pat at the deadline is looking worse by the day.
“But Cashman kept his powder dry, hoping that once Rodon returned and the playoffs rolled around, both Weathers and Warren could transition into relief roles and provide that needed boost,” Landers wrote about the Yankees' quiet trade deadline. “That was always a risky strategy, and it looks downright foolish now that Fried's injury has thrown his status into doubt.”
At this point, New York is one more injury away from a real mess. In a worst-case scenario, Weathers could end up as the No. 2 postseason starter if Cole or Rodon lands on the IL.
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The next steps are still measured, but they matter because the Yankees are trying to line up a healthy stretch before the playoffs. Judge has been swinging in the pool and now moves into a more traditional hitting build-up, while the team is also hoping other injured pieces can make it back in time to give the lineup a late lift. [Read more 🡒]