Late Friday night, the Yankees were hit with potentially catastrophic news regarding their ace, Gerrit Cole. The 33-year-old right-hander is scheduled to undergo an MRI on his elbow after experiencing discomfort following his most recent spring training outing, in which he gave up six runs. While Cole was experimenting with different pitches, any mention of elbow discomfort immediately raises alarm bells, especially for a pitcher of his caliber.
A Rotation Already Hanging by a Thread
The timing of this news couldn’t be worse for the Yankees, who are already dealing with multiple injuries in their starting rotation. Luis Gil is expected to miss at least three months with a high-grade lat strain, and Clarke Schmidt is set to return a few games into the regular season after being delayed by a back issue.
The Yankees had been considering trading Marcus Stroman this spring, but with Cole potentially missing time, moving a veteran arm seems unlikely now. Instead, they may have to lean on Stroman as a key piece of their rotation, despite his declining velocity and underwhelming performance in camp so far.
Max Fried Becomes the Ace by Default
If Cole is forced to miss extended time, Max Fried will immediately step into the ace role. The Yankees signed the former Atlanta Braves left-hander to an eight-year, $218 million contract this offseason, ensuring they had a dominant frontline starter. However, even with Fried leading the way, losing Cole would be a devastating blow to a team with championship aspirations.
Last season, Cole was limited to just 95 innings due to a flexor strain in his throwing elbow. He still managed to post a 3.41 ERA, but it wasn’t quite the dominant form the Yankees have come to expect from him. Now, with another elbow issue surfacing, the worst-case scenario—Tommy John surgery—has to be considered. If that were the case, Cole would be out for the entire 2025 season and possibly part of 2026.
- Yankees’ new infielder expected to return from back injury over the weekend
- Yankees have a lowkey super utility man fighting for a roster spot
- Yankees’ scorching hot outfielder expected to hit third behind AL MVP
Holding Their Breath for the MRI Results
The Yankees will now anxiously await the results of Cole’s MRI, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. If he avoids a serious injury, they may simply opt for a cautious approach, giving him extra rest before ramping up for the regular season. But if the news is bad, the Yankees’ rotation could go from being one of the best in baseball to scrambling for answers before Opening Day even arrives.