As the New York Yankees' season opener approaches, the pitcher set to replace Gerrit Cole could be one of the more unexpected choices from their rotation to face the Milwaukee Brewers. The New York Yankees know they will have to navigate the 2025 season without Gerrit Cole.

LAKELAND, Fla. — Yankees manager Aaron Boone has made up his mind on an Opening Day starter to replace injured ace Gerrit Cole. “I’ll have it for you tomorrow,” Boone said before Thursday’s Yankees-Tigers’ spring training game.

The rotation, while taking significant hits in the losses of Cole and Gil, still should be able to hold its own, but the real concern is the Yankees’ depth in this department, or lack thereof. As one rival AL scout assigned to the Yankees’ system put it on Tuesday when asked about the organizational starting pitching depth: “What depth?”