Feb 12, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) participates in spring training workouts at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Yankees Fans Should Believe Aaron Boone's Pitching Assessment

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Jordon Lawrenz | Last updated Feb 10, 2026 8:00 AM ET

Between Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole, it's no secret the New York Yankees will be missing a few top players to start the season.

Throw Anthony Volpe in there as well, but focusing on pitching specifically, manager Aaron Boone is comfortable where his team is at.

Boone recently spoke with MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM to discuss where things stand with those two and what his starting rotation currently looks like.

Cole's return will be a bit further along, but until then, Yankees fans should absolutely buy into Boone's confidence as this team is stacked in more ways than one.

Aaron Boone on Yankees Pitching Depth Despite Injuries

Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

"I don't think Carlos is going to be very long. We're in Tampa now and I watched him throw his bullpen two days ago, you know, so he's already well into his mound progression," Boone said. "We're not going to rush him back, obviously, we're going to make sure he's built up properly. I don't expect him to be too long."

He continued, "Gerrit's been doing great but again, not something where we're going to rush him. We're talking Fried, Schlittler, Warren, Weathers, and Gill to start the season in the rotation. You always have Yarbrough and Blackburn there that can fill that role very capably too. So we feel like our depth is good, and especially, hopefully it gets us through the early parts of the season so we can be in a stronger position as the calendar unfolds into the summer months."

Yankees Starting Rotation Is Nasty

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Heading into Spring Training, Boone's predicted starting five includes a few bonafide studs with a couple of other intriguing names. Ryan Weathers was the big get this offseason. It took a lot to bring him to New York after this team missed out on the likes of Edward Cabrera, Freddy Peralta, and even Framber Valdez.

That said, they're still rocking what should be a very talented starting five. If those five aren't enough, Boone knows he can go to either Ryan Yarbrough or Paul Blackburn at any given moment.

Their rotation had a few moving pieces, but that's not to say they won't be able to hold down the fort. Hopefully, this starting five does what Boone intends and they're able to churn out a ton of innings so the bullpen isn't exposed. Either way, Yankees fans have a lot to be excited about even with two top players not starting the season on the team.

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!