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 5th 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.

Obviously, the Yankees have had quite a quiet offseason up to this point. The main reason for this is because of the standoff they are having with Cody Bellinger. The uncertainty about whether or not his salary will be on the books makes it difficult to decide the budget for other moves. When Bellinger makes his decision, a domino effect will follow. And there are multiple moves the Yankees could make that would lead to other kinds of domino effects. Let’s take a look into what that might mean.