ANAHEIM, Calif. – That was Gerrit Cole in a gray Yankees’ road uniform at Angel Stadium, back home in Orange County, watching his teammates taking batting practice late Monday afternoon.
Due back in the Yankees’ rotation sometime in 2026, following Tommy John surgery, Cole can only hope to physically impact the Yankees’ next pennant race.
And yet, the Yankees’ Juan Soto-less lineup – having jumped to the Mets in free agency – has been about the game’s best and their Cole-less rotation has held it together.
“The one thing the start of the season has shown me is we have a chance to be that special club,’’ Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before a series opener against the Angels.
“Will we fulfill it? That’s on us to go and find out.’’
Beyond the All-Stars, championship-caliber clubs often require a key supporting cast, and Ryan Yarbrough is currently filling such a role on the 2025 Yankees.
After yielding a leadoff homer to Zach Neto, the veteran lefty with a varied, finesse arsenal was close to untouchable through six innings in Monday night’s 5-1 Yankees’ win.
A”whirlwind” Yankee experience
Yarbrough benefitted from the Yanks’ four-run fourth off righty Jack Kochanowicz, who walked Cody Bellinger with the bases loaded and yielded Anthony Volpe’s bases-clearing double to center.
A holiday crowd of 43,626 fans made it sound like Yankee Stadium West, especially when Aaron Judge (1-for-2, two walks) came to bat, complete with ‘M-V-P’ chants.
“It’s been a whirlwind, but it’s been a lot of fun,’’ said Yarbrough, 33, who arrived two days before the 2025 season opened, signed after triggering his opt-out from Toronto Blue Jays camp.
Pressed into a starting role on May 3, Yarbrough is now 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA over his four starts – including Monday’s 88-pitch performance, with seven strikeouts.
“Really fun to watch,’’ Boone said of Yarbrough’s array of sinkers, cutters, sliders and changeups that rely on sharp command – not speed – to generate soft contact and swings and misses.
The lanky, 6-foot-5 lefty is all “elbows and knees’’ with “deception in his delivery,’’ said Boone, who “always kind of admired’’ Yarbrough with the Tampa Bay Rays for his demeanor and selfless style.
“Whatever role you throw at him, he’s ready for it,’’ said Boone, who watched Yarbrough retire 18 of the 20 batters he faced after Neto lashed a 2-2 changeup for a 1-0 Angels lead.
One of those was a walk, the other was a dubiously scored base hit on a slow grounder to second baseman Jorbit Vivas where first baseman Ben Rice simply dropped a quick throw.
Yarbrough wouldn’t be the darling of talent evaluators in this velocity-and-super-spin-rate era of pitchers, but despite the lower mph on his pitches, “he’s got really good stuff,’’ said Volpe.
Yankees dominating the East
With 14 wins in their last 18 games, the Yanks (33-20) own a six-game lead in the AL East, a division where the Rays, Blue Jays and Red Sox are bobbing around .500 and the Orioles are a mess.
Asked if this 2025 version of the Yanks – minus Soto and Cole and so far without Luis Gil or Giancarlo – might be better than the 2024 pennant winners, Boone paused a moment.
“That’s my hope, but…it’s May,’’ said Boone. “The goal is to be playing your best toward the end. I think we have the makings of a really good team.’’
Boone’s bullpen remains a signature strength, though it’s also an area in constant transition. By Monday’s ninth, Devin Williams was warming up and probably one batter away from entering a save situation, facing the tying run.
But Luke Weaver – appearing for the fifth time in the last seven days – got the final out on his 25th pitch.
Boone thought about using Ian Hamilton to start the ninth with a four-run lead, but reasoned he’d have to get Weaver warmed up for a potential save situation anyway – so he went directly to Weaver.
The Yankees’ bullpen was operating a bit short Monday, and Hamilton had allowed eight earned runs in six appearances (4.1 IP) before Saturday’s scoreless outing at Colorado.
Meanwhile, Yerry de los Santos is climbing into the bullpen’s Circle of Trust, with another strong outing – 1.1 scoreless innings, with three strikeouts ahead of Mark Leiter Jr.’s eighth inning escape.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Yankees role players contributing to first-place club
