Yankees: Will A.J. Cole stick around the Bronx in 2019?

A.J. Cole had a tale of two seasons for the Yankees in 2018. An auspicious beginning to life in pinstripes took a turn for the worse down the stretch, eventually leading to him being left off the postseason roster.

To clear room on the 40-man roster for the recent return of J.A. Happ, the Yankees designated Parker Bridwell, who was quickly claimed by his former club, the Angels.

While some speculated that fellow right-hander, A.J. Cole, might fall victim to the roster crunch, the 26-year-old former Nationals prospect kept his standing — for the time being.

Entering his final pre-arbitration season, Cole is under club control for next season and should see a slight bump in the $555,300 he took home in 2018.

However, now out of minor league options, Cole will need to beat out the likes of Luis Cessa, Tommy Kahnle and Domingo German for a spot on the Opening Day 25-man roster.

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Looking back at Cole’s 2018, it appeared that Yankees general manager, Brian Cashman pulled another Houdini when he acquired Cole from the Nationals in late April for cash considerations.

Over his first 21.2 innings in pinstripes, the former 2010 fourth-round draft pick allowed just two runs on four hits while striking out 28 batters for an uber-impressive 0.83 ERA.

On the back of his outstanding slider, Cole looked like an entirely different pitcher than what he showed in parts of four seasons with the Nats: 5-8 with a 5.32 ERA, 1.509 WHIP and 102:48 K:BB ratio in 148 innings.

For whatever reason, Cole wasn’t used from May 29-June 18. Unfortunately, pitching two scoreless innings with three strikeouts on June 19 versus the Mariners led to a two-week DL stint due to a neck strain.

Despite bouncing back in July with a 2.70 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, .222 BAA with 15 strikeouts in 10 innings, August and September were a cruel mistress to Cole.

August brought with it a 5.56 ERA, 2.03 WHIP, .321 BAA and 17 hits allowed across 11.1 innings, while Cole’s five September appearances resulted in even worse statistics: 17.18 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, .421 BAA and eight hits allowed in 3.2 innings.

Understandably, Cole was left off the postseason roster. So now the question remains, what does 2019 spell for A.J. Cole in New York?

The fact the Cole can pitch multiple innings, multiple times per week helps his chances of sticking with the Yanks. Now, if the Bombers were to sign free agents Adam Ottavino or David Robertson — both older and far more expensive, that could spell trouble for Cole.

Indeed, Cole showed glimpses of reaching his full potential last season — so perhaps the Yanks will give him another chance to solidify a role in 2019. Whatever that is may be decided even before Spring Training breaks.

A.J. Cole had a tale of two seasons for the Yankees in 2018. An auspicious beginning to life in pinstripes took a turn for the worse down the stretch, eventually leading to him being left off the postseason roster.

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