Who will be the Yankees' fifth starter when Opening Day arrives?

Four spots in the Yankees’ starting rotation are locked up. The battle for the fifth spot is shaping up to be an interesting battle in the Bronx.

The Yankees are fortunate to have four starting pitchers they can count on heading into the 2020 regular season. The signing of Gerrit Cole in free agency certainly strengthens the top of Aaron Boone’s rotation. Now it’s time for the organization to decide who will win the battle to become the team’s No. 5 starter.

Cole, Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, and JA Happ will be the team’s top four starters barring some sort of injury issue. Tanaka is currently in the MLB’s concussion protocol, but he is progressing nicely and should be in line to return by Opening Day.

Domingo German would likely be the favorite to secure the fifth spot under normal circumstances, but he will miss the entire 2020 regular season after being suspended due to a domestic violence incident. It remains to be seen whether or not the team will welcome him back when he becomes eligible in 2021. At any rate, he’s a non-factor for Boone this season.

The absence of German doesn’t leave the Yankees short of talented options to fill the fifth starter role. The favorite to win the job heading into the preseason was Jordan Montgomery. He missed most of 2019 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he was a steady presence in the team’s rotation before suffering the injury. He doesn’t have ace level stuff, but if his arm is 100%, the Yankees believe he has the potential to be a middle of the rotation starter. Montgomery might not have the most upside of the team’s options, but he likely has the highest floor.

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Jonathan Loaisiga is the other candidate who possesses meaningful MLB experience. The Yankees want him to emerge as a quality starter, but it’s possible his stuff is better suited for the bullpen. He will get every opportunity to secure a starting spot in the lead up to the regular season. When he’s at his best, he’s shown the ability to dominate Major League hitters. For Loaisiga, the challenge will be to prove he can pitch that way on a consistent basis as a starter.

This week, two pitchers who have very little major league experience have jumped into the battle for the fifth spot and made significant noise. Clarke Schmidt pitched in the team’s first interleague game and his performance earned rave reviews from everyone in attendance. He’s yet to make his MLB debut, but he makes no secret of his belief that he’s capable of getting top-flight hitters out immediately. The organization’s No. 2 prospect will be desperate to earn a roster spot this season. It’s hard to imagine him making that happen in the bullpen. It’s starter or bust for Schmidt at this point in his career.

The fourth, and final, realistic player with a chance to grab the No. 5 starter spot is Michael King. He enjoyed a cup of coffee in the Bronx last season but he’s still unproven at the major league level. Like Montgomery, he also lacks the dominating stuff required to project as a top of the rotation guy. However, his ability to keep hitters off speed with his mix of fastballs and offspeed stuff has allowed him to be successful at every level of the minors. His performance in the team’s second intrasquad game was outshined by Cole’s dynamic outing, but it’s worth noting he didn’t give up a single run against several big-name hitters.

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The competition between these four talented pitchers is a really good problem for the Yankees to have. The organization can feel comfortable letting the quartet battle it out over the next few weeks. Whoever wins the competition will enter the regular season with a lot of momentum. That’s good news for a franchise that’s desperate to win their 28th World Series Championship in 2020.

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Who will be the Yankees’ fifth starter when Opening Day arrives?

By Rucker Haringey | Jul 8, 2020