A quarter of the way through the season, the New York Yankees are facing familiar roster questions—just don’t expect starting pitching to be at the top of the list. Brendan Kuty of The Athletic recently broke down the Yankees’ most pressing needs in The Windup daily newsletter. While he highlighted the obvious infield hole and bullpen concerns, he didn’t mention the rotation. And honestly, that says a lot.
Despite missing ace Gerrit Cole for the season and still waiting on Luis Gil to return from a lat injury, the Yankees’ starters have quietly held their own. Entering the week, they’ve posted a 3.73 ERA—ninth in the American League and 10th in Major League Baseball. That’s solid considering Marcus Stroman’s 11.57 ERA before a knee injury landed him on the IL. With Will Warren and Ryan Yarbrough stepping up and Jonathan Loáisiga and Clayton Beeter nearing returns, pitching hasn’t fallen off a cliff like some feared.
New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole is introduced on Opening Day 2025.© Brad Penner-Imagn Images
The real issue? The infield.
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And Kuty didn’t mince words. “They need an infielder. That was probably true before Oswaldo Cabrera fractured his ankle, but it’s especially the case now,” he said. Cabrera’s injury has only magnified a roster hole that’s been quietly growing. the insider floated two paths forward: go get a third baseman or shift Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to third and fill second base instead.
The Yankees are already cycling through options. They are testing out one-time top prospect Oswald Peraza, giving a look to Jorbit Vivas, and hoping DJ LeMahieu has something left in the tank. It’s the kind of patchwork approach that won’t hold up for long if this team expects to stay atop the AL East.
The insider summed up the bullpen simply: “Bullpen help wouldn’t hurt either.” Even with Loáisiga and Beeter getting close, Brian Cashman is likely working the phones.
The question now is just how aggressive the Yankees will get—and how soon.
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