The Yankees’ World Series hopes could hinge on the status of an MRI for their ace’s elbow.
Gerrit Cole is reportedly set to undergo an MRI to look at an injury to his pitching elbow, New York manager Aaron Boone told reporters Monday. Cole is coming off a season in which he won the AL Cy Young Award, the first of his career.
When the words “elbow” and “MRI” are used in the same sentence for pitchers, that raises red flags. The threat of Tommy John surgery lingers any time a player reports an injury to their pitching elbow.
The Yankees can ill afford to lose Cole, the only reliable starting pitcher in the team’s staff. Carlos Rodón made just 14 starts in 2023, Clarke Schmidt and Domingo German both struggled, and Nestor Cortes took a step back after a breakout 2022. Marcus Stroman would likely be the team’s No. 1 starter if Cole missed any time.
Here’s the latest on Cole’s injury.
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Gerrit Cole injury update
Boone did not provide many details Monday beyond saying Cole would undergo an MRI. Cole has had a tougher time recovering between starts so far in spring training, Boone noted, which is led to the evaluation of his elbow.
Given the risk of severe injuries, even a minor issue in Cole’s elbow could result in him being shut down to rest the arm and preserve it for down the stretch of the 2024 season.
Cole, 33, has been a remarkably healthy pitcher throughout his career. Since he debuted in 2013, only Max Scherzer (315) and Zack Greinke (310) have made more starts than Cole (300). In that span, Cole is tied with six other pitchers for the second-most seasons with at least 30 starts with seven, trailing only José Quintana, who has hit the 30-start mark eight times between 2013 and 2023.
This post will be updated as further information is released.
Yankees pitching depth
- Gerrit Cole
- Marcus Stroman
- Carlos Rodón
- Nestor Cortes
- Clarke Schmidt
- Luke Weaver
The Yankees are looking at the worst-case scenario if Cole has to miss any time. They were counting on him to be the team’s ace heading into a season with a stout lineup and loaded bullpen but a shallow rotation.
Stroman has been consistent over his past four seasons, having pitched to a 3.38 ERA over 117 games between 2019 and 2023. (He opted out of the COVID-shortened 2020 season.) But his lack of strikeouts means he could regress as he ages.
Rodón signed a massive six-year, $162 million deal in 2023 but had a dismal first season with New York. He finished with a 6.85 ERA and made just 14 starts in an injury-plagued seasons. In his previous two seasons, he collectively had a 2.67 ERA across 55 starts, marking his best two years as a pro.
Cortes broke out as a solid swing pitcher in 2021 and flourished as a starter in 2022, when he had a 2.44 ERA, becoming an All-Star and finishing eighth in Cy Young voting. He was hit hard in 2023, however, as he mustered a 4.97 ERA and missed time due to shoulder injuries.
Schmidt pitched well as a starter and reliever in 2022 with a 3.12 ERA in his first full MLB season. He was shifted full-time to the rotation in 2023 and struggled to a 4.64 ERA over 33 games (32 starts).
Should Cole miss time, Weaver likely makes the leap into the rotation for the Yankees. He pitched for three teams in 2023 and had a 6.40 ERA across 29 outings (25 starts).
