Update on Yankees pitchers battling for a rotation spot
The New York Yankees have two spots open in their starting rotation to start the season. Here is an update on the top contenders.
Before the start of the 2019 season, the New York Yankees were mentioned as top contenders for the World Series Championship. They had a roster that included, 2018 rookie of the year finalist Miguel Andujar, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, and Aaron Judge, among others. But that slowly became a hard task to accomplish due to the many injuries that took place over the season.
The motto for the 2019 season, which was quoted by Manager Aaron Boone in an interview, was “Next Man Up.” That was the rallying cry. It sparked a team that had a total of 30 men go on and off the injured list and still found a way to win 103 games.
That was good enough for a playoff run that ended with a loss to the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series. When star players found were out injured, others such as Gio Urshela, DJ LeMahieu, Mike Tauchman, and Austin Romine stepped up to keep the Bronx Bombers in contention. c
With the free agent addition of Gerrit Cole and a return to health of several players in 2020, there is a strong chance for the New York Yankees to be a World Series contender again. It’s not turning out that way. Center fielder Aaron Hicks underwent surgery in October that will keep him out for the first half of the season. Soon after, pitcher Domingo German was given an 81-game suspension for domestic violence.
Before the team even reported to Tampa, FL for spring training, they lost starter James Paxton for three months, due to back surgery. Another starter, Luis Severino, will miss the whole season due to Tommy John surgery. Most recently right fielder Aaron Judge and left fielder Giancarlo Stanton are scheduled to miss opening day. That means the New York Yankees are without their entire starting outfield and half the starting rotation.
While they are still able to field a winning outfield, there are still some questions as to who will fill out the rotation. Here is an update on the men fighting for the final two spots.