The Yankees are first. No doubt. No team took a worse injury beating this spring.
They will begin the season with 11 players on the injured list, so there was quantity. More vitally, there was quality. Notably, ace Gerrit Cole needed Tommy John surgery and will miss the season. AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil will be out until at least June (probably longer) with a strained lat.
That has left the Yankees thin in rotation depth.
The Yankees have not provided a timeline to return for DJ LeMahieu (calf) or Giancarlo Stanton (both elbows), two veteran righty hitters on a team that projects to struggle against lefties. That the Yankees were still pursuing a righty bat as spring training concluded suggests they are lacking depth in this area as well.
