With the Yankees ramping up ahead of the 2024 season, the team is holding their breath as manager Aaron Boone stated on Monday that star pitcher Gerrit Cole would have an MRI on his pitching elbow.
Cole is coming off an AL Cy Young award-winning season at 32 years old. Now 33, Cole was hoping to run back another tremendous season that fueled a World Series run, but the Yankees now face a situation that could be devastating.
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The Yankees Can’t Afford to Lose Gerrit Cole
Cole has only made one appearance this spring, throwing two innings worth of ball, hosting a 13.50 ERA and 4.50 strikeouts per nine. It was certainly odd that Cole wasn’t making more starts as he progressed through his throwing program, but this could be a precautionary move by the Yankees to make sure there’s no long-term damage.
According to Pete Caldera of USA Today, Cole was having trouble recovering, feeling more like a regular-season start than a spring training start — the MRI could be precautionary.
If Cole were to miss any time, Carlos Rodon would expect to be the team’s number-one option, but that would leave a huge hole at the back end of the rotation, likely forcing one of their young pieces to step in and support the group.
The most viable option is Will Warren, a 24-year-old who has a 3.86 ERA this spring over 4.2 innings. The Yankees can’t afford to lose Cole to a long-term injury, especially after losing out on several top pitchers this off-season.