CLEARWATER, Fla. — There will be no replacement for Gerrit Cole, the ace of aces. His arm, the Yankees’ most obvious path to the World Series, required an MRI on his elbow on Monday.
But an ominous, dark day for the Yankees included a glimmer of hope for their rotation depth, if not the rotation front.
If Cole has to miss time, the three competitors vying for a spot in the rotation will at some point, if not right away, pitch 10 sq/3 innings with 1 run, 6 hits, and 14 strikeouts. The combination looked promising.
On a split-squad day that showcased some of the remaining depth options in the rotation, Clayton Beater, Lewis Gill, and Will Warren looked ready to serve in the majors right away.
“With the trades we had to make this winter, we’ve got more pitching depth… so I’m excited for the next wave,” manager Aaron Boone said during a 2-1 win over the Phillies at Baycare Stadium. “I’m working on it,” he said. . “We feel like our pitching depth is deep. At what level are we ready to compete right now? That’s something you have to find out.”
Facing what would be the Phillies’ opening day lineup, Beater allowed only two hits and no runs in four innings with four strikeouts.
Beater, who returned from the Joey Gallo trade in 2022, got ahead of the count with his fastball and killed batters with his slider. Alec Bohm swung three straight sliders. Kyle Schwarber also struck out three strikes while on the pitch.
“I saw the lineup today and I was excited to play against them,” the 25-year-old right-handed beater said. “It continues to give me confidence that I can demonstrate my abilities here.”
The beater went to Gill, who was the most impressive pitcher that day.
The right-hander, who is ready to start his first full season after returning from Tommy John surgery, pitched well with one hit and one walk in 3/3 innings. Of the 11 outs he recorded, eight were due to strikeouts.
In one entertaining battle, he got ahead of Bryce Harper with a slider and a changeup, causing both to whiff, then reached out and blasted Harper at 99.6 mph.
“Oh. … He was dominant. That was dominant,” Boone said of Gill. Gil was already optioned out of major league camp, especially since the Yankees are slowly building him up following surgery in May 2022. “I kept turning around and wondering, is anyone else seeing this?
“It’s very easy to see that he takes into account [to the majors] in some role.What I want to say is [stuff] It works. ”
Phillies batters couldn’t understand Gill, swinging 26 times and whiffing on 15 pitches. Gill mixed in a changeup and slider, but could rely on a fastball in the high 90s when he needed an out.
“[I felt] It’s amazing, thank God,” Gil said in Spanish, adding that he hadn’t felt this good in years.
Returning to Tampa, Warren may be the most ready for the big leagues of the Yankees’ starting pitching candidates, but he’s not yet on the 40-man roster — 3 against an impressive Orioles batting lineup. He allowed three hits and three strikeouts.
“I feel like I’m ready. [for the majors]said Warren, who pitched in 21 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season. “When the time comes, hopefully sooner rather than later, I’m ready to do whatever it takes to win.”
—Additional reporting by Dan Martin in Tampa
