UPDATE Latest Gerrit Cole Injury Update is Highly Concerning
By Jovan Alford
Update: MLB insider Jon Heyman reported on Wednesday that Cole will miss at least 1-2 months and will try to travel to Los Angeles to meet with sports surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
Meanwhile, Brendan Kuty of NJ.com reported that there's no tear shown on Cole's MRI, but there was inflammation and soreness that the star pitcher wanted to check out.
https://t.co/s58gA8Usm0. Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will be out at least 1-2 months and has an appointment to fly to LA to see noted surgeon Neal ElAttrache @nypostsports has learned
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 13, 2024
The New York Yankees are sitting in a precarious position with two weeks until the start of the 2024 season. The Yankees entered Spring Training with a ton of hope after adding Juan Soto and upgrading the starting rotation.
However, New York’s starting rotation might be in trouble as ace pitcher Gerrit Cole reportedly underwent an MRI on Monday. Cole’s elbow issue flared up in Spring Training, which has held him to one start.
The Yankees hope Cole’s elbow injury isn’t serious. Still, things don’t sound too promising as his MRI is “being distributed to specialists for second and third opinions,” according to Bob Klapisch of NJ.com.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported Wednesday that Yankees officials are still getting info on Cole’s elbow.
Yankees officials are still gathering information on Gerrit Cole’s elbow as of this morning, as I noted on @MLBNetwork moments ago.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) March 13, 2024
Depending on the results of Cole’s MRI, New York will need a backup plan to address their starting rotation. Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, who are still on the open market and have been linked to the Yankees in the offseason, might not end up in the Big Apple.
Klapisch reported that Montgomery “wants no part of returning to the Yankees” and that Snell is still “too expensive.”
If that’s the case, the Yankees will hope the trio of Marcus Stroman, Nestor Cortes, and Carlos Rodon can carry the starting staff in a tough AL East.
Can those three starting pitchers help New York win the AL East? It’s possible, especially with how much power the Yankees’ offense possesses. However, we should expect some changes to New York’s division odds (+165 on FanDuel Sportsbook) depending on whether Cole has to go through rehab or potentially Tommy John surgery.
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