Yankees RHP Gerrit Cole is set to miss an extended period of time with an elbow injury after reporting soreness in his UCL (ulnar collateral ligament). Cole will miss at least 1-2 months, and is currently scheduled to meet with renowned surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache for a second opinion on the matter.
The 33 year old threw 39 pitches over two innings of work in a spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays, but began reporting some discomfort in his throwing arm shortly thereafter. While New York has put Cole through a battery of tests to determine if there were any tears, the club ultimately opted to seek out the opinion of Dr. ElAttache who has performed numerous surgeries on some of the sports top players over the years.
“It’s probably going to be a couple of days until everybody weighs in on it,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters, adding it “would be difficult” to see a scenario in which Cole is ready for Opening Day.
If further testing identifies a tear in Cole’s UCL, then the most common course of action is Tommy John surgery, which would sideline the California native for the entirety of the 2024 campaign.
The 6’4″ hurler went 15-4 with a 2.63 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 222K’s over 209IP in 2023, en route to earning the AL Cy Young award. In his absence, New York is evaluating several courses of action, including circling back to the Chicago White Sox to check in on the availability of RHP Dylan Cease.
Cease went 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 2023, but sat down 214 batters across 177IP for an underperforming White Sox club. While the team’s asking price has proven too high for most clubs this offseason, Cole’s injury could force the Yankees to accept the premium price tag on the 28 year old to keep their World Series aspirations alive.
Not only would a prolonged absence from Cole affect the team’s rotation, but it could also affect their chances to extend newly acquired slugger Juan Soto who is set to become a free agent at season’s end. If New York’s season begins to go off the rails, the team may no longer be in a position of strength in negotiations for 2025 and beyond.
The club is currently reviewing Opening Day options for their March 28th contest against the Houston Astros, and are believed to be leaning towards Marcus Stroman at the moment.
New York is next in action Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox in spring training action.
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