New York

Yankees

Schlitter, a 2022 seventh-round pick, has been moving up the SP depth chart with Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil hurt, but he cratered today after two strong outings to begin the spring. The right-hander had a 3.36 ERA and 154/55 K/BB in 120 2/3 innings in the minors last season. About two-thirds of those innings came in high-A, but he was promoted to Double-A in the second half. He’ll probably open up this season back at that level.

Pereira missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery and will open the year back in the upper minors. The 23-year-old former top prospect figures to be back in the big leagues at some point in the coming months. Jones remains one of New York’s most talented prospects, thanks to his top-of-the-scale raw power, but persistent strikeout issues in the upper minors threaten to prevent him from reaching his potential.

Schmidt’s debut was delayed by some back soreness. His velocity was fine today, and he actually got quality results when throwing anything besides his sinker. He used it just five times, yet it produced three 100+ mph balls in play, including Ryan Mountcastle’s three-run homer.

Bellinger is 13-for-26 with two homers in his first Grapefruit League campaign. That fast start is interesting, as he tended to put up middling numbers in the hitter friendly Cactus League while with the Dodgers and Cubs. In fact, his 13 spring hits are already a career high, even though he’s had more than 50 spring at-bats on three occasions.

The Yankees announced the decision Monday evening following Cole’s visit with specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. It’s a crushing development for fantasy purposes since Cole was a top-15 range starting pitcher, on average, in drafts this spring. It’s obviously another significant hit to New York’s rotation depth shortly after losing young flamethrower Luis Gil for the next three-plus months due to a high-grade lat strain. It’ll be some combination of Marcus Stroman, Will Warren, Carlos Carrasco and Allan Winans filling the immediate void, but we’re fully anticipating the Yankees aggressively pursuing alternatives on the trade market. The 34-year-old right-hander will likely be sidelined until midway through the 2026 campaign.

Lombard, who doesn’t turn 20 years old until June 2, was one of New York’s standout prospects this spring. He was batting .263 (5-for-19) with two homers during 10 Grapefruit League contests prior to going 0-for-3 during Monday’s showdown against the Tigers. The former first-round pick struggled to make contact on pitches in the zone last year in the lower minors, but the physical tools are undeniable. He’s most likely already rostered in deeper dynasty formats and it wouldn’t be shocking if his value skyrocketed this season with a strong performance in the upper minors.

The homer, his second of the spring, would have been a double if the wind hadn’t taken it. In spite of a 10/1 K/BB, Goldschmidt is batting .250/.280/.542 through 25 plate appearances. We’re more skeptical than most about a bounce-back campaign, largely because of his increasing strikeout rate the last couple of years. Still, he should be a fine enough source of homers and RBI while hitting in the middle of the Yankee lineup.

Warren settled for one strikeout today, but he was effective again in improving to 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA in 11 2/3 innings. Barring a late acquisition, it should be either Warren or Carlos Carrasco filling in for Gerrit Cole at the start of the year, and Warren seems like the better option from here.

Dr. ElAttrache will meet with Cole to determiner the next steps in Cole’s recovery. It’s been reported that the right-hander has received a recommendation to undergo Tommy John surgery, but Cole and the Yankees are getting a second opinion. Fantasy managers should be prepared for the worst, but more info should be available on Cole’s status in the coming days.

Bowden notes that the Yankees are waiting to hear on a second opinion before confirming that diagnosis. That report jives with what was reported earlier on Sunday where general manager Brian Cashman told reporters he’s “prepared for the worst.” We should have clarification within the next couple of days, but it sounds like Cole may not be throwing a single pitch for the Yankees during the 2025 season.