Gerrit Cole to miss at least 1 to 2 months as Yankees ace visits noted surgeon
Gerrit Cole and his $324 million right arm landed in California on Wednesday, when the fate of perhaps the league’s most valuable pitcher took another turn — this one west.
The Yankees ace flew to Los Angeles for a Thursday appointment with noted sports surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
At this stage, Cole will miss at least one to two months due to an elbow that requires more testing.
Manager Aaron Boone said Cole has already undergone an MRI, CT scan and X-rays and now will receive “more advanced testing,” without providing specifics.
Several Yankees doctors and ElAttrache have viewed Cole’s preliminary film, and while none has detected a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament, there’s enough concern about the ligament that ElAttrache has suggested an in-person visit.
“We’re still in the gathering-of-information [phase] and then everyone’s got to weigh in to determine what exactly we have,” Boone said after a 9-4 loss to the Red Sox at Steinbrenner Field. “… It’s not always clear on first look, second look.”
Word is that the defending AL Cy Young Award winner will be out for an “extended period,” although for now, the hope and belief is that Cole has a chance to return sometime in May or early June.
“I understand it’s Gerrit Cole. It’s a big story,” Boone said, declining to speculate on a timetable. “But … I’m not going to jump to a conclusion.”
The initial readings of Cole earlier in the week were optimistic, with the belief the issue could be resolved with rest and other conservative treatments, but ElAttrache has recommended more testing, raising the level of worry.
Former Yankees great Masahiro Tanaka was able to pitch successfully with a weakened elbow ligament, but many pitchers are not.
Boone publicly ruled out Opening Day, but it’s clear Cole will need more time than that now.
At the very least, Cole will need to wait for swelling and inflammation to subside, and once that does, he would need to ramp back up to get into major league pitching shape.
The 33-year-old had shown his usual excellent velocity and command this spring, but his recovery, normally no problem for one of baseball’s most dependable starters, has been an issue.
His most recent spring outing was a three-inning, 47-pitch live batting practice Thursday, and his initial MRI on Monday began the saga.
Since the start of the 2020 season, no one has pitched more innings in baseball than Cole (664), who has performed like the workhorse the Yankees believed he would be.
“Gerrit’s been the cornerstone of durability,” said Carlos Rodon, a large part of a rotation suddenly filled with question marks. “… It’s tough, whatever the news is. Getting imaging is never easy on the arm. Hope for the best news.”
There is no good time to lose Cole, but extended missed time this season would be especially devastating.
In what will be an all-in year for the Yankees — who mortgaged part of their pitching future in a trade for Juan Soto, who will be a free agent after this season — there are significant questions behind Cole in the rotation.
Marcus Stroman pitched just 24 innings in the second half of last season due to hip and rib-cage ailments.
There are issues of durability and effectiveness with Rodon and Nestor Cortes, both coming off seasons to forget.
In his first full season as a major league starter last year, Clarke Schmidt was OK (4.64 ERA) but not special.
Contenders for the fifth rotation spot likely include Luke Weaver, Cody Poteet, Cody Morris, Clayton Beeter, Will Warren and Luis Gil.
“There’s probably four or five candidates that are probably … still realistically in that conversation,” Boone said of the No. 5 arm. “Probably in my head, I certainly have a favorite, I guess, but you’re also trying to let things unfold.”
The Yankees are trying to let things unfold with Cole, too, who at the least will open the season on the injured list. It will be Cole’s first trip to the IL for a non-COVID injury since 2016, back when it was called the disabled list.
Cole has arrived both in Los Angeles and unfamiliar territory.
“Gerrit’s as smart as they come,” Boone said of his ace’s mindset. “Just trying to process all the information as it comes in.”
— Jon Heyman in Glendale, Ariz. and Mark W. Sanchez in Tampa
