The Yankees are in DEFCON five, and the season hasn’t even started yet. A month ago, this team looked like a powerhouse built for a deep October run. Now, they’re watching their rotation crumble and their offensive firepower take major hits before the first pitch of the 2025 campaign is even thrown.

Rotation in Shambles Before the Season Starts

The Yankees were banking on their pitching depth to be one of their biggest strengths this year, but that depth has evaporated in a matter of weeks. Gerrit Cole, the 2023 AL Cy Young winner, is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery on Tuesday, meaning he’s out for all of 2025 and likely part of 2026. Luis Gil, last year’s AL Rookie of the Year, is sidelined for at least three months with a high-grade lat strain.

What was once an elite rotation has been stripped to its core. Instead of stacking up against the best teams in the league with a front-loaded group of aces, the Yankees now have to rely on Marcus Stroman and Will Warren in significant roles.

Stroman, who was brought in as a back-end innings eater, was nearly traded before the injury bug hit. Now, he’s locked into a key rotation spot, and the Yankees will have to get every bit of value from him before his 2026 player option kicks in.

Meanwhile, Warren, a 25-year-old righty with minimal MLB experience, suddenly finds himself as an essential piece in a rotation that is running on fumes before the season even begins.

The Yankees simply cannot afford another injury in their starting five, but that’s wishful thinking in a 162-game season.

Stanton’s Status a Mystery with Surgery on the Table

As if losing two of their best pitchers wasn’t bad enough, the Yankees still don’t have a clear answer on Giancarlo Stanton’s availability. The slugger has labeled his elbow issues as “severe” and hasn’t ruled out the possibility of surgery, which could knock him out for the entire year.

The problem isn’t whether Stanton wants to play. He always does. But wanting to be in the lineup and actually being physically capable of doing so are two very different things. If his health doesn’t improve significantly over the next few weeks, the Yankees could be forced to shut him down. That would mean losing one of their most powerful bats and scrambling to find an alternative solution at designated hitter.

Cashman’s Hands Are Tied

A month ago, the Yankees had a clear path to being a World Series contender. Now, they might have to throw this season into survival mode before it even begins. General manager Brian Cashman could hit the trade market for reinforcements, but finding impact starters this early in the season is next to impossible.

The Yankees are going to have to dance around reality for a little while, but eventually, they’ll have to face the music. Their best players are dropping like flies, and all the patchwork decisions in the world aren’t going to bring back the guys they’ve already lost.