The Yankees‘ first two weeks of spring training went smoothly, meaning there were no scary injuries or inconsistencies that raised any alarms. However, over the last three days, the Yankees have sustained multiple injuries, some to core players, which could significantly impact the 2024 season.
Fortunately, the latest injury news on Aaron Judge is positive, but many are holding their breath with Gerrit Cole, who underwent an MRI on his elbow and could be shut down for a few weeks, if not longer, based on the results.
Yankees See Three Injuries Pop Up in Three Days
Gerrit Cole:
The news that Cole would need imaging done on his elbow was certainly a shock to the fan base and immediately sparked doom-and-gloom narratives. However, there’s simply not enough information to make any final conclusions, and the Yankees are hopeful that everything will come back clean. Manager Aaron Boone indicated that all the strength testing they did on Cole’s arm was good, suggesting there’s no serious structural damage.
Essentially, Cole was having trouble rebounding from his spring training performance, feeling as though he tossed 100 pitches in a regular-season game. This could be a minor issue or something that requires a small surgery and will knock him out for a few months. Nonetheless, the Yankees will be happy as long as he can return in 2024 at full capacity.
Cole is coming off an AL Cy Young award-winning season, so his value to the team is unmatched. Without him, the Yankees don’t stand a chance in the pitching department; they desperately need good news this week.
Aaron Judge:
As for Aaron Judge, Brian Hoch of MLB.com reported that a test on his abdominal section came back clean, suggesting he should be ready to go for Opening Day, and the Yankees will keep him rested over the next few days. He may not swing a bat for a week, but his timeline for the season shouldn’t be disrupted.
Judge is coming off a year where he battled a toe injury, which saw his number drop from his 2022 MVP campaign. Over 106 games, Judge still managed to hit .267/.406/.613, including 37 homers and 75 RBIs. Judge remains one of the best offensive players in the game, and the Yankees need to continue his dominant form over the last few years.
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Oswald Peraza:
Things aren’t as positive for Oswald Peraza, who will miss 6–8 weeks with a shoulder injury. Peraza has been dealing with some issues in that area over the past few weeks, but the Yankees finally decided to get more imaging done to determine the severity.
Peraza was struggling during spring training and has likely lost his job as the primary utility man due to the injury. Many hoped he would take over DJ LeMahieu’s role in the infield, who has since moved to third base full-time.
It is possible that Peraza will work his way back up through Triple-A, but the Yankees have a pressing need for a veteran utility player who can provide solid offensive value.