The Yankees Are Starting 2025 at an Early Disadvantage

Spring is supposed to be a time of optimism. It should be a time where teams and their fans are looking forward to the possibilities of what can be accomplished in the upcoming season and what heights the players can reach.

It shouldn’t have to already be a time to worry about how the heck a team is going to replace a handful of injured players. That type of horrible luck would just be downright cruel.

Unfortunately, that is the reality that the New York Yankees and their fans are living in with just under three weeks to go before the start of the 2025 regular season. Injuries have dominated the headlines instead of whether the team can replicate the success of their 2024 season.

After breaking a six-year playoff streak with arguably their worst season of the 2000s, the Yankees bounced back strong last year. They led the AL with 94 wins and made their first World Series since 2009, ultimately losing in five games to the champion Dodgers.

After getting so close to championship No. 28, the goal was of course to make another run at it this season. Sure, that can be a little hard when you lose an all-world outfielder in Juan Soto, your leadoff hitter to end the year in Gleyber Torres, and your closer in Clay Holmes, among others.

But the Yankees also made moves to offset their losses. They traded for one of the best closers in the league in Devin Williams, brought in two former NL MVPs in Cody Bellinger (trade) and Paul Goldschmidt (free agent), and also signed one of the top starting pitchers on the free agent market in Max Fried.

Under normal circumstances, the Yankees hype train would be full steam ahead for the upcoming season. But right now, it’s more about how far behind the rest of the pack New York might be starting.

With injuries piling up, the Yankees are starting the 2025 season at an early disadvantage.

With every day that passes, another player on the Yankees seems to get bitten by the injury bug, with each new ailment seemingly more brutal than the last. Currently, RosterResource projects that eight players will start the season on the injured list.

The pitching staff has so far been hit much harder than the position player group. However, the injuries to the latter group happen to be big ones for New York.

Infielder DJ LeMahieu, who was limited to just 67 games last season due to foot and hip injuries, is already on the shelf. In just his second at-bat of the spring, the 36-year-old strained his calf, which will cause him to miss at least a couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton has seen his injury situation go from bad to worse. Already having sat all spring due to problems in both elbows related to bat adjustments last year, it turns out those injuries are considered severe enough that season-ending surgery could already be on the table. One wonders what that might mean for the 35-year-old’s career moving forward.

On the pitching side, the starting rotation has been absolutely ravaged.

First, JT Brubaker, a career starter who had an uphill battle to make the rotation, suffered three broken ribs on a comebacker in the team’s very first game of the spring. His potential depth would now be much welcomed.

Then, it was announced that 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil suffered a lat strain during a bullpen session. Upon further evaluation, it will be at least three months before the promising young starter returns from injury.

But the biggest blow came after ace Gerrit Cole reported arm soreness in the days following a rough spring outing against the Twins. Imaging on the arm resulted in a first opinion of Tommy John surgery for the former Cy Young Award winner, but Cole is seeking a second opinion.

The bullpen hasn’t been immune to the injury bug either. Jonathan Loáisiga will miss the season due to a UCL injury, Scott Effross is out for a while with a hamstring strain, and Jake Cousins had his spring delayed by a forearm strain, though he is at least now throwing again. All three were expected to be bullpen contributors in 2025.

All of these injuries put the Yankees behind the eight ball early, which is exactly what you don’t want in a division like the AL East. The Red Sox and Blue Jays improved their rosters in the offseason, the Orioles still have a strong, young core that will continue to improve, and the Rays never fail to be competitive.

Yes, the Yankees were set to have a deep roster in 2025, but even New York will find it very difficult to withstand this rash of injuries. Let’s hope no others pop up either because they don’t need their early disadvantage to grow even bigger.