With Gerrit Cole expected to miss the first one-two months of the 2024 season due to injury, the New York Yankees will need to find a different Opening Day starter. Cole, of course, would have been the obvious choice as he's arguably the best pitcher in baseball. With Cole out, however, some people around the MLB world may consider Carlos Rodon to be a replacement, but Aaron Boone said Rodon will probably not take the ball to begin the season.

“Yeah, we are still working through it, but we will probably keep Carlos in his spot,” Boone said during Wednesday's Yankees-Boston Red Sox spring training game on the YES Network, via Talkin' Yanks. “Like the way his spring is rolling out right now. So he's set to go in that game two. And then we will kind of work around that.”

So that leaves Marcus Stroman and Nestor Cortes as the likeliest options to earn the nod… Unless the Yankees trade for Dylan Cease or sign Blake Snell.

New York is reportedly interested in acquiring Cease from the Chicago White Sox. They have been mentioned as a possible suitor for Snell all offseason long, but Cease appears to be a more likely fit at the moment.

Still, it's a bit surprising that the Yankees wouldn't turn to Rodon. Stroman and Cortes are both good pitchers, but Rodon was expected to start the second game anyway. So having him start Opening Day would have made sense, however, Rodon's spring training has been less than stellar.

Can Carlos Rodon bounce back in second season with Yankees

Rodon has endured an inconsistent spring training. He has been especially susceptible to the long ball. Although Rodon allowed another home run on Wednesday, it was just a solo shot and he actually turned in a pretty good performance.

Rodon completed four innings of one-run baseball while striking out three and allowing no walks. That is a solid all-around start for a pitcher who had been struggling.

Still, unless something changes, it looks look Carlos Rodon will not start Opening Day despite Gerrit Cole's injury. The question is whether or not the Yankees 2024 Opening Day starter is already on the roster or not…