The New York Yankees had question marks surrounding their starting pitching before the season began. Now their rotation is a major reason why they’re 26-14, and they’ve done it without their ace throwing a single pitch.

Gerrit Cole struck out 222 batters last season while leading the league in ERA (2.63), innings pitched (209), WHIP (0.98), and hits per nine innings (6.8). However, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner has been on the 60-day injured list all year after he experienced elbow inflammation early in spring training.

Without him, they’ve relied on veterans Nestor Cortes, Carlos Rodón, and Marcus Stroman as well as up-and-comers Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt. Cortes, Rodón, and Stroman all struggled with injuries last year, and Gil didn’t pitch whatsoever aside from four innings in the minors as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. Schmidt made 32 starts in 2023, but his 4.64 ERA indicates he was merely serviceable. All of these concerns led to speculation that they would try to acquire one of the major pitching targets available this offseason.

No one can replicate Cole’s production, but all five of them have exceeded expectations. Cortes, Rodón, and Stroman all have ERAs in the mid-to-high threes. Schmidt pitched into the seventh inning without allowing a run against the Tampa Bay Rays last night, lowering his ERA to 2.95 as the Yankees won, 2-0. Gil has been the biggest surprise of all. He has a 2.92 ERA and has surrendered only 18 hits in 37 innings with 45 strikeouts, though his 24 walks leads MLB.

Notably, none of them have missed a start all year. The five of them have commenced 39 of the team’s 40 games so far—Cody Poteet started the second game of a doubleheader on April 13. Altogether, their starting pitching boasts a 3.36 ERA and their 225 strikeouts is the second most by a team’s starters in MLB.

Cole deserves a sliver of credit for the rotation’s excellence even in his absence, as he has served as an extra coach to his teammates, but his recovery could lead to a return to the mound in a few weeks. He threw a 15-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday without discomfort and is scheduled for another one today. If all goes well, he’ll progress to facing hitters in live batting practice and then rehab starts in the minor leagues.

Assuming he stays on track without setbacks, he could return to the Yankees in early June. The question then becomes whose spot does he take?

Rodón and Stroman were signed as major-league free agents, so the club couldn’t send them to the minors even if they wanted, and both are getting paid starting pitcher salaries. Cortes and Schmidt both have minor-league options remaining, but the former has been a reliable starter—when healthy—since July 2021 and the latter has proven his worth in the rotation over the last two seasons.

At 25 years old, Gil is the least experienced of the group. He has made 14 appearances and thrown 70 1/3 innings over his MLB career dating back to 2021. However, he’s arguably pitching the best of all and certainly doesn’t deserve to go back to the minors. Moving to a multi-inning relief role is an option, but he hasn’t been a full-time reliever since he was 17 years old in his first year of professional baseball.

The other option is for the Yankees to utilize a six-man rotation—at least until someone gets injured, traded, or fades from their hot start. The downside is that necessitates seven pitchers in the bullpen instead of the customary eight. That would strain the relief corps, especially on days when starters don’t go deep into games or when they go into extra innings.

Having too many starting pitchers is a problem any team would love to have, but it can’t manifest until Cole returns. It’s predicated not only on a smooth recovery from their ace, but the continued health and success of their five current starters. As June grows nearer though, so does a difficult decision for the Yankees.