New York Yankees: with James Paxton out 3-4 months, who’s the next man up?

This season, the New York Yankees will pick up right where they left off in 2019, battling injuries. Here’s how James Paxton’s injury impacts the team.

Yesterday, amidst all the hoopla surrounding the blockbuster deal of the year, the New York Yankees announced that their projected number two starter James Paxton would miss 3-4 months after undergoing a “microscopic lumbar discectomy with removal of a peridiscal cyst.”

Essentially, the team will be picking up right where they left off in 2019 when they battled an unprecedented number of injuries to a number of key players.

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To start the offseason, Yankees fans felt a renewed sense of hope as the front office turned back the clock, channeled the boss, and emptied their pockets in order to sign ace righty Gerrit Cole. For the first time in a while, the team would feature a legitimate 1-2-3 punch in the rotation, with Paxton following Cole and then followed by Masahiro Tanaka.

The injury comes as a particular blow to Paxton who finished the 2019 season strong, going 10-0 with a 2.51 ERA in his final 11 starts. He topped it off with an even better postseason in which he presented as a true ace for the team.

With Paxton’s injury, every man in the rotation moves up one slot, leaving the number five spot up for grabs. One would assume that the job would go to lefty Jordan Montgomery (aka “Monty”), but there are some other viable arms that could step and earn the spot during spring training.

Luis Cessa and Jonathan Loaisiga come to mind as potential options, especially considering that they have had success filling in in the past. What most Yankees fans will be yearning to see, however, is top prospect Deivi Garcia.

If nothing else, the competition for the number five spot will make New York Yankees spring training games must-see-TV for fans of the team. Though the likely option will be Monty, It’s going to be fun watching these players duke it out for the spot.