The big storyline for the New York Yankees this off-season has been the injury bug, aside from the deadly Corona Virus that has shut down Major League Baseball operations. The regular season is too far out to see at this point, after the league pushed back the expected March 26 Opening Day for the Yankees and many other teams.
The injury bug took it’s toll on the Yankees before spring training even began, taking down No. 2 starter Luis Severino for the entire 2020 campaign and hindering the progress of James Paxton, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton.
The loss of Severino and Paxton disrupted the starting pitching rotation, and force the Yankees to supplement their losses before any live-action even began. With Severino missing all of 2020, Jordan Montgomery will slide in as the fifth man in the rotation. However, Paxton is expected to return in early-May, and the start of the regular season could fall right around that time.
This will ultimately give the Yankees the consistency and cemented rotation they expected going into the upcoming season.
Last week, Paxton began throwing from 60-feet, starting his physcial rehabilitation process. With the MLB stating that the regular season won’t begin for at least eight weeks, he will have plenty of time to recover fully and prepare to slot in behind Gerrit Cole as the No. 2 pitcher in the rotation.
The New York Yankees have a few rising stars who can help if called upon:
One lowkey pitcher who has looked phenomenal this spring training is Jonathan Loaisiga. The young Nicaraguan pitched 10 innings, posting a 2.70 ERA with 14 strikeouts. His improved performance can be correlated to the addition of offspeed pitches into his repertoire.
Utilizing him as a stop-gap if James Paxton needs more time to heal is a logical move, as he will likely be a featured player in the bullpen regardless.