The New York Yankees are making their final preparations for Opening Day, with some moves already announced, including JC Escarra, Will Warren, and Carlos Carrasco locking down spots. But a Wednesday announcement highlighted just how disastrous this spring was. The Yankees gave injury designations to key players, including Giancarlo Stanton.

After announcements about some relief pitchers, the Yankees announced, “Placed INF DJ LeMahieu on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to 3/24) with a left calf strain. Placed RHP Jonathan Loáisiga on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to 3/24) with right elbow surgery recovery.

“Placed RHP Clarke Schmidt on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to 3/24) with right rotator cuff tendonitis. Placed DH/OF Giancarlo Stanton on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to 3/24) with right and left elbow epicondylitis.”

None of these moves is surprising coming out of Yankees' spring training. LeMahieu hurt his calf in his first exhibition game. He did not hit the field after that. Loáisiga underwent Tommy John surgery last year and should be back during the season. Schmidt was dealing with back tightness but now will miss his first start with a shoulder issue. And Stanton barely participated in camp.

The best news from this group is that, despite concerning reports, Stanton is only on the 10-day injured list.

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Not included in the announcement was anything about Gerrit Cole, but fans know the situation there. The ace will be out for the entire season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Luis Gil is also on the 60-day IL, dealing with a lat strain. Relief pitchers Yerry De Los Santos, Clayton Beeter, JT Brubaker, Scott Effross, and Ian Hamilton were all part of the injury announcement Wednesday.

The Yankees have an incredible amount of pitching injuries to deal with early in this season. It will shine the light brightly on Max Fried and Carlos Rodon in the rotation and Devin Williams in the bullpen. But it could also lead to an early-season trade to bolster the rotation.

Sandy Alcantara, Dylan Cease, Michael King, Erick Fedde, Miles Mikolas, and plenty more pitchers could be available in a trade. The Yankees would have to give up a top prospect to pry away either Alcantara or Cease, which could lead to a move for a second-tier pitcher.

If they want to repeat as American League champions, they will need to get great pitching from the guys they have and maybe add another arm.