3 Yankees who can establish their reputations in 2025, and 1 who can repair his

If the Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton injuries did anything, they paved a pathway for guys who need it and increased some proper urgency for others. The New York Yankees' 2025 season is not lost by any means. But it'll take a lot more to achieve what was previously expected of them.

We'd rather it not be this way. We'd rather be at absolute full strength, add more at the trade deadline, and get revenge on the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the journey is never that linear. The Yankees had their chance in 2024. They blew it. Plain and simple.

What if there was a way to make that stink go away without having to conquer the entire league? What if an underdog-inspired run had fans even more excited about 2026 and beyond? This group has the supporting cast to make it happen. It all depends on whether some of them can deliver.

3 Yankees who can establish their reputations in 2025, and 1 who can repair his

Austin Wells

When the dust settled on 2024, Wells ended up having a pretty good rookie year. He was an AL ROY finalist and he homered in the World Series. That's definitely enough to build off of in a crucial sophomore season.

What's most important, however, is that Wells does not follow the usual path of Yankees prospects. Like so many other before Wells, they have shown promise, only to completely flame out (or never even really get started).

When the Yankees drafted him in 2020, his "advanced bat" was the calling card. We've now seen it since September of 2023. There must be a discernible difference in 2025 for the 25-year-old to be considered a future star for this team. He's already been playing well this spring, so that's a good place to begin.

Wells has it all. He's a lefty power bat and a good defensive catcher. He rocks a killer stache. He has chicken parm with his friends while discussing swing mechanics. This is somebody we'd love to become a widespread fan favorite as soon as he can.

Anthony Volpe

Ah, yeah, Wells' chicken parm buddy! Anthony Volpe is a talented baseball player, but the full package has been underwhelming when taking into account what was expected of the young shortstop. Volpe's minor league numbers and hype predicted an offensive explosion at the MLB level, but so far it's been peaks and valleys (and man, those valleys get steep).

The former first-round pick is an excellent defender, even though some might find a way to nitpick his arm strength. But that shortcoming by no means limits his abilities. The kid just can't be OBP'ing under .300 and OPS'ing in the .650 range. Those just aren't acceptable numbers for an everyday MLB player. Even as a better defensive shortstop, he may not even survive much longer in the league with that kind of output.

Volpe was supposed to be a five-tool player. Will he live up to it? It's possible, but we also know how hard baseball is. Perhaps if he can rediscover a semblance of his minor league form, Volpe would be well on his way to being an All-Star. In 2024, he improved in runs scored (90 vs 62), batting average (.243 to .209) and strikeout rate (22.6% to 27.8%). But he saw downturns in slugging percentage (.364 to .383) and walk rate (6.1% to 8.7%), and stayed flat in the RBI department (60). If he can continue to rack up dWAR with his glove and become a more consistent 20-20 threat in 2025, Volpe will reinvigorate this fanbase.

Jasson Dominguez

We all thought Dominguez's 2023 debut was going to set the tone for his reputation when he homered in his first at-bat off Justin Verlander and led the Yankees to a sweep over the Astros in Houston. But then he needed Tommy John surgery because ... yeah ... this is just what happens to Yankees position players?

Though Dominguez was on track to be ready for the start of the 2024 season, he suffered an oblique injury, and that put him on the shelf again for a while. He was only able to get 58 minor league games under his belt before the Yankees decided to call him up and introduce him to left field (he's primarily a center fielder).

Not only was the defense very bad, but Dominguez hit .179 with a .617 OPS in 18 games, which had everyone immediately forgetting about his eight-game stretch in 2023 when he hit four homers and seven RBI. Dominguez hasn't exactly looked great this spring, but he's had his moments. And he doesn't need a special start to 2025. He just needs to go through the motions, get back in the groove of things, and stay afloat for when his hot streak arrives. Dominguez turning into the talent everybody thought he'd be back in 2020 would completely alter the outlook of this franchise.

Carlos Rodón

And now we come to the battle-tested veteran in Carlos Rodón, who every Yankees fan is dying to be a force. In case you don't recall the 2022 trade deadline or the following offseason, all everybody wanted was for Rodón to join the rotation. He eventually did, but the pressure was immediately on after he signed for $162 million.

His tenure couldn't have gotten off to a worse start. Multiple injuries — one of which couldn't be definitively diagnosed — delayed his Yankees debut until July 7. He logged just two quality starts in 14 total outings, and ended the year with the dud of all duds in an historically bad performance against the Royals where he allowed eight earned runs before even recording an out. He also turned his back on pitching coach Matt Blake during a mound visit, and that's how he sailed into the offseason. Bad vibes aplenty. He finished with a 6.85 ERA, and the Yankees were 3-11 in his starts.

Then came 2024, which was much more hopeful, but still represented a sort of a nauseating rollercoaster ride. He was objectively much better, but he certainly didn't establish himself as the No. 2 behind Gerrit Cole, and saw his first playoff outing in New York blow up in his face because he got too excited. He got knocked around in the World Series, too. All in all, though, he finished with a 3.96 ERA and 195 strikeouts in 32 starts (175 innings).

If Rodón can carry some momentum from those positive 2024 moments into 2025, he can get closer to the 5.0 WAR pitcher he was in 2021 and 2022. He may not reach those peaks again, but Yankees fans know this guy brings the heat and possesses a wicked edge, and they just want to see a bit more of that, knowing how much further it could take the team.