New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole was placed on the 60-day injured list Thursday ahead of the Opening Day matchup against the Houston Astros.
Dealing with elbow inflammation in his throwing arm, Cole has been essentially shut down since the middle of March. It was expected that he would miss at least 1-2 months. His eligible return date is May 27, which would be close to the best-case scenario.
The absence of the 2023 Cy Young Award winner will be notable. The Yankees will do their best to work with the starting rotation that they have, which includes Nestor Cortes making his first-career Opening Day start Thursday.
The Yankees also are counting on fellow lefty Carlos Rodon to bounce back after a massively disappointing season in 2023 that was marred by injuries.
How much longer Cole will be out past his eligible date of return isn’t clear, but the Yankees will need him to come back fresh for the second half if they want any chance of making good on the high expectations coming into the season.
