GERRIT COLE FITS THE ROLE HE'S BEEN ASKED TO PLAY

Source: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Two starts in and Gerrit Cole is doing what is not only expected but he is taking on a bigger role than anticipated.  With James Paxton out likely for three months (anticipated back in June) and Luis Severino out for the season, Cole will be asked to start on two opening days, with the first less than a month away.

"Weather permitting, Opening Day in Baltimore is set for March 26, and there is nobody else but Cole who will be on the Camden Yards mound for his Yankees debut," reported the New York Post.  Cole pitched on Saturday in the 8-2 win against the Detroit Tigers.  He threw 2 ²/₃ shutout innings and 30 pitches of which 21 were strikes.  This is the Cole we need. He needs to perform at his highest, not just because he can, but because this is the part he is being asked to play, with two of our best out of commission.

Source: Frank Franklin II/AP

Cole said that he and catcher Gary Sanchez had a good routine before and during the game on Saturday.  This is a rhythm that not only has to be in place at the start of the season but has to endure through the tough days of spring and summer ball into the fall.

And besides taking on the role of ace from the standpoint of starting pitching, he will have to be a leader absent of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton who are already being bitten by the injury bug.

Source: AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

According to NJ.com on Saturday just before 5:00 p.m., "Yankees manager Aaron Boone said right fielder Aaron Judge underwent more tests Friday — including an MRI — that didn’t reveal the cause of the right shoulder soreness he has been feeling. Judge will go for another test Monday, said Boone, who didn’t specify what the test was. '“We’re just kind of in a holding pattern with it, trying to figure out what exactly’s going on there,”' Boone said." This is not the news anyone wants to hear.

Yet on the bright side, Cole is stepping into March with confidence and poise despite the injuries.  He is becoming the Yankee we need him to be.  I think the Daily News said it best, "Saturday, though, with so much uncertainty in the Yankees rotation and now with injuries to Judge and Stanton, Cole was not just the ace, but a reassuring presence." And this will not only help the team build momentum but get them through these tough days.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof