"I expect us to roll with punches" - Gerrit Cole reacts to Yankees' phenom's injury concern with confidence

The New York Yankees were hit by concerning injury news on Friday after reigning American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil complained of shoulder discomfort on Friday.

Gil ended his bullpen session abruptly after an injury scare in his right shoulder. The right-handed pitcher is scheduled for an MRI on Saturday to further assess his situation.

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, who made his Grapefruit League debut on Friday, reflected on his teammate's injury with just a couple of weeks to go until Opening Day. He made his feelings known in a conversation with Meredith Marakovits of Yes Network.

"Yeah, just bummed, I hope he's all right," Cole said on Gil's shoulder injury.

Talking about the Yankees rotation for Opening Day after Gil's injury, the Cy Young winner said:

"We have a good mentality as a team and we did a fantastic job with it last year. I expect us to roll with punches however they come out this year."

If Luis Gil fails to recover in time for the Opening Day, the Yankees would have a rotation of Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt, and Marcus Stroman for the start of the season.

Gerrit Cole puts on strong display in Spring Training debut against Blue Jays

Gerrit Cole had a delayed start to his 2024 season as he sustained an elbow inflammation around this time in Spring Training last year. Cole, who is expected to lead the Yankees rotation with new signing Max Fried, reflected on his Spring Training debut on Friday.

“This is my fifth time facing hitters, and I was pleasantly surprised at the command,” Cole said. “We did a good job maintaining the velocity that we were looking for, not going too high, and did a good job executing most of the pitches.”

Cole allowed a run on three hits against the Blue Jays in his 3.1 innings. He struck out five hitters as the Yankees won 6-3. Yankees catcher Austin Wells, who was one of the three New York players to go deep on the night, praised the veteran ace for rolling out a new changeup against the Blue Jays.

“The more he throws it, the better it’s going to be. And either way, we’re going to throw it," he said.

With the arrival of Max Fried in the offseason, Gerrit Cole will have a reliable arm to share his workload, especially with Gil's latest setback. Cole's health will play a crucial role in the Yankees' aspiration of another World Series bid this year.