Yankees: Gerrit Cole Will Not Pitch Today as Planned

The New York Yankees are facing one of the toughest stretches of the year—not in terms of the opponents they're facing on the field, but rather in terms of the number of days off. Indeed, the Yankees are in the midst of a 16-game stretch over 16 days, meaning they'll have no respite unless the weather intervenes.

That's why, when manager Aaron Boone announced that Elmer Rodriguez would start in place of Gerrit Cole for today's (Sunday) game, no one saw it coming, and concern began to spread throughout the Big Apple.

The first question, of course, was whether the team's ace pitcher was injured. But the manager quickly dispelled any doubts when he explained that it was simply a decision to give the starting rotation an extra day of rest.

It's something we've been discussing for the past few days. I think he's recovered well, too. But we also want to think long-term with all these guys. Obviously, Carlos Rodon is coming back. We have young pitchers in the rotation who've thrown a lot of innings. I feel like they're all in a good place, but I want to be mindful of that throughout the summer.

That's reassuring for Yankees fans. While an extra day of rest will benefit players like Cole and Rodon in the long run, the Yankees had to make this decision, because come October, we'll need everyone in the Bronx.

Except maybe Will Warren—he's been having his share of trouble lately. The 27-year-old pitched four and a third innings against the Cleveland Guardians, four innings against the Toronto Blue Jays, and although he pitched into the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds yesterday, those five and two-thirds innings of work were worthless given the six runs he allowed.

All the more reason to give Cole and his teammates a day off, since they may not be able to count on Warren for much longer.

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