Yankees Injury Update: Giancarlo Stanton setback, Gerrit Cole uncertainty, Carlos Rodón

Though the New York Yankees are absolutely cruising at the moment, they are about to experience a bit of a roster crunch. The first iteration is already on the way, as Carlos Rodón is expected to join the rotation the next turn through.

Elmer Rodriguez was optioned after Tuesday night's game as the Yankees prepare to welcome Rodón back. We'll get to that in a minute, because there are a couple of other developments that deserve a bit more attention.

Giancarlo Stanton, who was placed on the injured list last week and was expected to be activated after 10 days, appears as if he'll be on the shelf a bit longer. According to Greg Joyce of the New York Post, Stanton is "not ready to return anytime soon."

Unfortunately, that's hardly a surprise among Yankees fans. Nobody believed he would only miss a few days when he was diagnosed with a calf issue two weekends ago, and once he was placed on the IL it felt like Stanton would probably be out for a few weeks.

That's just the nature of the lower body injuries the massive slugger has dealt with, particularly during his Yankees tenure. So, in the meantime, expect more Jasson Dominguez, which isn't a bad thing given how he's been hitting the ball well.

Yankees say Gerrit Cole is still "a little ways away" from return to active roster

On the pitching front, Gerrit Cole made another rehab start on Tuesday night and continues to get hit around. While it's not the biggest deal in the world since he's probably just working out the kinks post-Tommy John surgery, it is a bit curious.

Cole's allowed 12 earned runs on 18 hits and one walk over his four outings, totaling 18 1/3 innings. He's struck out only 14 batters. It seemed like he was ahead of Rodón in the recovery process, but now it's clear that he's not ready, and probably won't be for a few more weeks.

This shouldn't come as a surprise, though. The Yankees have long been suggesting Cole would probably return at some point in June. So another three rehab starts feels right with how well the rotation is pitching right now.

Carlos Rodón to return to Yankees on Sunday vs Brewers

And with Rodón returning in the next few days, there's hardly a reason to rush Cole in any capacity. Rodón has built himself up appropriately, tossing 6 1/3 innings and logging 83 pitches in his final rehab start on Tuesday night.

The surgery he underwent to remove a bone spur was much less invasive than Cole's Tommy John procedure, and though the recovery time can vary, Rodón's gotten the better end of it. He'll be back in action at the MLB level just seven months after the procedure.

At the moment, the Yankees don't need to send anybody to the bullpen thankfully. Rodriguez will be back at Triple-A and should return at some point in 2026 whenever the Yankees need rotation or pitching depth help.

But when Cole's ready to be activated, expect one of Ryan Weathers or Will Warren to be moved into the bullpen. We'll continue keeping tabs, but with Rodón's return on the horizon, Yankees fans should be feeling great about the state of the roster.

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