Yankees’ Ace Gerrit Cole Won’t Require Tommy John Surgery, Opting For Noninvasive Treatment
The New York Yankees can breathe a sigh of relief as ace Gerrit Cole will not require Tommy John surgery to repair his injured right elbow, multiple reports confirmed Thursday.
After meeting with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles, Cole has opted to rest and rehab his ailment through noninvasive treatments, as the New York Post’s Jon Heyman first reported. He’ll remain sidelined indefinitely through the rest of this spring.
The Yankees haven’t provided a recovery timeline for Cole, but Heyman reports he could return in 1-2 months, potentially ahead of the All-Star break.
Cole’s spring ends after only two starts, one in Grapefruit League action and the other in a simulated game. The 33-year-old underwent a full series of tests earlier this week after reporting elbow discomfort following his most recent outing on March 7th.
Just over a week later, the Yankees are preparing for life without the reigning American League Cy Young winner, who’s avoided the injured list – excluding COVID-related trips – since September 2016.
New York will need to determine who’ll start on Opening Day when the team travels to Minute Maid Park to face the Houston Astros. It’ll be the first time since 2020 that someone other than Cole has taken the ball in Game 1 of 162.
There doesn’t appear to be an obvious choice for that spot, as Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Thursday they’ll likely have to alter their pitching plans to align someone for the season opener on March 28th. He knows who’ll start then, but has chosen not to disclose that information.
The most likely candidates seem to be Nestor Cortes and Clarke Schmidt, as the club doesn’t want to disrupt Marcus Stroman and Carlos Rodon’s schedules with both coming off injury-plagued seasons.
But if it doesn’t end up being Cortes or Schmidt, the Yankees may utilize a bullpen game during their season opener, putting their relief corps at a significant disadvantage to begin a pivotal 2024 campaign.
One year after featuring 12 starting pitchers, New York’s rotation could become even more vulnerable this season. Their pitching depth took a sizable hit in the Juan Soto blockbuster, which sent a package of hurlers – including Michael King – to the San Diego Padres.
Now that they’re without Cole, many have speculated if general manager Brian Cashman will supplement that void with one of the marquee starters still available in free agency, such as Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery or Michael Lorenzen.
The Yankees were reportedly amongst the clubs interested in Dylan Cease before the Chicago White Sox traded him as part of Wednesday’s blockbuster with the Padres.
Current internal candidates to round out New York’s starting rotation include Clayton Beeter, Luke Weaver, and Luis Gil – with all three already on the 40-man roster. And whoever wins the fifth starter’s role could move to the bullpen upon Cole’s return.
Cole, entering the fifth season of a nine-year, $324-million contract signed in 2019, has been a workhorse since joining the Yankees, reaching the 200-innings mark in each of the previous two seasons. He also leads the majors in innings pitched (664) since the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.
The six-time All-Star pitched to a 15-4 record with a 2.63 ERA in 33 starts last season, posting a 27% strikeout rate and 5.8% walk rate while earning a 3.16 FIP, worth 5.2 fWAR.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
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