What Happens to the Yankees' rotation when Cole and Rodon return?

(Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images)

Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt are all on the injured list to begin the 2026 season, but the Yankees’ starting rotation is off to a fantastic start without them. Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Ryan Weathers have all looked really good to begin the season. Luis Gil will be called up shortly to be the team’s 5^th starter. This begs the question; what happens when some of the other aces return? Carlos Rodon is expected back in May, Gerrit Cole is expected back soon after. Clarke Schmidt likely won’t be ready until late summer. So, when Cole and Rodon return, who leaves the rotation?

Warren, Weathers, and Gil will all have a short time to prove their worth, as it is inevitable that two of them will move to the bullpen when Cole and Rodon come back. As of now, it is looking like it will be Gil and Weathers. Warren is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA through his first two starts in 2026. If he keeps this pace, he probably earns that last starter spot over Weathers and Gil. But that won’t be the end of difficult decisions. The Yankees have some absolute monsters in the minor leagues, the most well-known being Carlos Lagrange. The 22-year-old righty posted a 0.66 ERA across 13.2 innings in Spring Training, and his highest recorded fastball hit 103 MPH. You can absolutely expect Lagrange to reach the major leagues at some point in 2026, making that 5^th starter spot unsafe for whoever earns it. And the impending late summer return of Clarke Schmidt adds more chaos to the situation. I’m expecting the Yankees to make some trades at the deadline to balance out the roster.

The Bronx Bombers will undoubtedly use their large surplus of starters to make trades at the deadline for bats and/or relievers, the question is who? When you look at guys who could get left out of the rotation after the return of certain injured players, some of them could work well as relievers. I can easily picture Ryan Weathers and Carlos Lagrange pitching in the bullpen. Will Warren could probably pitch in the bullpen too. But what about Luis Gil? I look at Gil as the next Jordan Montgomery. I find it difficult to believe that he will be in the playoff rotation, and he’ll probably be out of the rotation well before the trade deadline after everything plays out. This reminds me of what happened with Jordan Montgomery in 2022. He was on his way out of the rotation well before the playoffs, so the Yankees opted to trade him for a position player (Harrison Bader) rather than use him in the bullpen – a role he’s not accustomed to. Luis Gil also does not have much experience as a reliever. I think he’s the most likely name to be traded ahead of the deadline, and I’m expecting major league talent in return. If Clarke Schmidt gets left out of the rotation, I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets traded too. However, he has pitched well as a reliever in the past and it will be hard to trade a player fresh off Tommy John Surgery, so I don’t know that it happens. All the starters other than Gil that could be left out of the rotation could work as relievers, but that does not mean that they are not also subject to be traded. A bullpen with real relievers is much better than having 3-4 length arms.  

It is very hard to predict how this is going to play out. No one knows how these pitchers will perform going forward and other injuries can take place. However, if all goes according to plan, my expectation is Luis Gil gets left out of the rotation and ultimately traded. With Weathers and Warren/Schmidt also set to move to the bullpen later in the season, I expect Ryan Yarbrough to get traded too. Yarbrough would probably go for some low-level minor leaguers, and Gil would for a big league talent. The Yankees badly need a new catcher behind Austin Wells. Having only JC Escarra on the bench is unacceptable. Gil being traded for a right-handed catcher alongside a reliever is the most likely avenue here. The Yankees’ rotation is going to be chaotic in 2026, but it will be interesting to watch how it shapes out from now until October. 

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