Will the Yankees adopt a six-member rotation after Gerrit Cole's return? Exploring possible starter options for New York

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole's return isn't necessarily imminent, but he is coming back soon. The reigning Cy Young will rejoin a rotation that has been surprisingly good in 2024 and played a big role in their early-season success.

All five of them (Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes Jr., Marcus Stroman, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt) have pitched well, which gives the team an interesting choice to make when Cole returns. Might they consider a six-man rotation?

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Should the Yankees have six starters when Gerrit Cole returns?

Gerrit Cole, at least for the first few starts of his return, will not be at full strength. He won't be able to pitch more than six or seven innings he usually does, and he will need to be stretched out. During that time, a six-man rotation would be wise.

However, when he does get back to full strength, the six-man rotation may not work. Cole is one of the best pitchers in the American League, and the team would likely derive more value from pitching him every five games rather than six.

Gerrit Cole is nearing a return

Sadly, this leaves the Yankees with a major conundrum. The worst starting pitcher so far has been Marcus Stroman, only worth 0.2 fWAR. He was signed as a starter and is paid handsomely to be one, so moving him out of the rotation doesn't make as much sense.

The next-worst pitcher is Carlos Rodon, worth 0.4 fWAR. The same logic applies since he signed a $162 million deal. He's not moving to the bullpen, either. That leaves only a few other options.

Nestor Cortes Jr. might make sense since he is a former reliever, but he's been arguably the best pitcher the Yankees have (1.2 fWAR), leaving the only other two options as Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt.

Gil is tied for first on the team with 1.2 fWAR. Schmidt has finally developed into a legitimate starter and is worth 1.0 fWAR. Neither of them makes prime long-reliever candidates, especially with how well they're pitching.

But to get as much value out of Gerrit Cole as they can, he needs to pitch every five days. That means someone is moving to the bullpen, and it is most likely going to be Schmidt.

That's disappointing because the Yankees have gone to great lengths to stretch him out and work on getting him past the fifth inning as a starter. It's just a good problem the Yankees will have upon Cole's return.