The 2025 New York Yankees are playing with a boldness that defies the odds, rewriting their season with grit, depth, and an almost cinematic resilience.
At 33-20, they’re sitting atop the American League East with a comfortable six-game lead, a feat impressive enough on paper.
But peel back the surface, and the real marvel emerges: they’ve done it without Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil—the 2023 AL Cy Young winner and the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year, respectively.
One is out for at least a year. The other is fighting to return. And somehow, the Yankees just keep winning.
The devastating blow of losing Cole and Gil early
Cole, the anchor of the rotation, was lost before he ever took the mound in 2025. Tommy John surgery didn’t just sideline him—it erased nearly two full seasons from his prime.
A blow like that usually shifts the trajectory of an entire campaign. For most teams, it would be a death sentence.
Add to that the loss of Gil, whose breakout 2024 featured a 3.50 ERA and 171 strikeouts, and it’s a miracle this team isn’t floundering.
Gil’s spring was cut short by a troubling lat strain, his discomfort in late February turning into a prolonged absence. What initially seemed minor stretched into weeks of healing, cautious shut-downs, and uncertainty.
The Yankees could’ve folded. Instead, they found new heroes.
Rising arms are holding down the fort—and more
Max Fried and Carlos Rodon have stepped into the spotlight with grace, each pitching like a legitimate ace. Their command, presence, and endurance have made them a formidable one-two punch.
Behind them, Will Warren is quickly shedding the “promising prospect” label and turning into one of the league’s most dangerous strikeout artists.
Meanwhile, Clarke Schmidt and Ryan Yarbrough have provided a kind of quiet excellence. They don’t dominate headlines, but their consistency keeps the rotation humming. This isn’t a group surviving—it’s thriving.
But even the best-laid rotations can fray with time, and help is always welcome. That’s why the news of Gil’s huge rehab step is more than a silver lining—it’s a thunderclap of hope.
Gil’s comeback begins with a mound session Friday
Finally, after months of uncertainty, Gil is ready to step back onto a mound. He began his throwing program in late April, and now the plan is to ramp up from the mound beginning Friday.
It’s a massive step forward, signaling that his lat has healed and his arm is building strength again.
If all goes well—no setbacks, no tweaks—he could be back in the Yankees’ rotation by late June or early July. It won’t be rushed. He’ll need multiple rounds of live batting practice and a substantial rehab assignment to build up innings.
But for Gil, even stepping on a mound again is a victory. And for the Yankees, it’s like finding an extra ace in your back pocket halfway through the season.
The rich get richer as Gil eyes return to elite form
It’s hard to overstate what Gil could bring. His fastball velocity, command improvements, and swing-and-miss stuff made him a rising star last year.
Adding him back into a rotation already performing at a top-tier level is like installing a turbocharger on a high-performance engine.
Of course, reintegrating him won’t be seamless. The Yankees will need to balance workloads, possibly shift roles, and make tough decisions.
But it’s the kind of problem any contender would dream of having—too much pitching talent, not enough spots.
In baseball, injuries often feel like wrecking balls. But sometimes, with patience and faith, they’re detours that lead back stronger.
For now, all eyes turn to Friday. It’s just one mound session. Just a warm-up. But for Luis Gil and the Yankees, it could be the beginning of something special.
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