Yankee Ace Gerrit Cole Expected to Miss 1-2 Months
It was a foregone conclusion that New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole was injured and would miss time; the only question was how long he'd be out.
Fortunately, it seems like the worst-case scenario has been avoided, although tests are continuing out of caution.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Cole will miss a month or two of the 2024 season, and will visit noted sports surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. None of Cole's MRIs showed a UCL tear, full or partial, but there is enough concern for ElAttrache to suggest an in-person visit, per Heyman's report.
SNY's Andy Martino had a similar report, saying that the Yankees have cautious optimism that Cole will not need Tommy John surgery, although the continued testing indicates that the situation isn't resolved yet. Another report from The Athletic's Brendan Kuty states that the MRI did show inflammation and soreness of the UCL (but no tear), which is why Cole and the Yankees are pursuing multiple opinions.
Currently, this is both devastating yet relieving news for the Yankees; while losing Cole for any part of the season is brutal, it's definitely a more favorable outcome than losing him for the entire year. The hope is that he could be back around May or early June, which would give the team a very important mid-season boost.
Nonetheless, the Yankees will now have to make due with their current starters and hope that one of them can collect a little extra fire in Cole's absence. The upside is certainly there; Carlos Rodon and Marcus Stroman have experience as the ace of a pitching staff, while Clarke Schmidt and Nestor Cortes Jr. have shown flashes of brilliance that make them impossible to underestimate.
But as good as these options can be, there's no way to fully replace Cole's presence in the rotation until he comes back. Coming off his first career Cy Young Award, the 33-year-old has been fantastic in pinstripes since signing a then-record 9-year, $324 million contract in December 2019. The numbers include a 51-23 record over four seasons, a 3.08 ERA and 3.27 FIP, a 1.011 WHIP, and a 5.23 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In three of his four years with the Yankees, he has finished in the top five of Cy Young voting.
The Yankees are currently aiming to not just return to the playoffs in 2024, but their goals include winning their first AL pennant and World Series since 2009. Losing Cole for the early part of the season (for now) will make that path more difficult, but it can still be traversed if their ace is ready to pitch when it matters the most.
