Gerrit Cole, the undisputed ace of the New York Yankees pitching staff — who is entering the sixth season of his nine-year, $324 million contract with the team — delivered on Saturday morning the one piece of bad news the Yankees least wanted to hear. Cole said that he had seen MRI imaging of his throwing elbow, and it left him “concerned” that he may need surgery to repair the joint, according to a report by Dan Martin of the New York Post.
Cole called the discomfort he felt in his right elbow following his spring training start against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday “alarming,” Martin reported.
On Friday night, the Yankees revealed that Cole would undergo imaging tests on the elbow. Those images have now come back and, according to MLB Network reporter Bryan Hoch, Cole said that after seeing them he wanted a second opinion on the condition of his elbow — though he did not say what the MRI results showed.
Cole Still Has ‘Some Hope,’ He Says
“I’ve still got some hope,” Cole said, as quoted by Hoch. “I’m just waiting for the experts to weigh in.”
Cole was roughed around by Minnesota in the Thursday start, allowing six runs on five hits including a pair of home runs in just 2 2/3 innings. But he said that he felt physically fine after he came off the mound. His fastball averaged 95.7 mph for the start, though Cole acknowledged issues with his command despite issuing no walks in the short outing.
“As I got home, it continued to get more and more sore,” Cole said, as quoted by the Post. “Something wasn’t right. … It was tough to sleep. It was alarming the next morning.”
Cole made only 17 starts for the Yankees in 2024, after making at least 30 in his last six full seasons (the only exception being the pandemic-truncated 2020 season when the 60-game schedule limited Cole to 12 starts). In fact, Cole led the American League with 33 starts in each of the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He also led the National League with 33 starts in 2017 when he was still pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team that drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2011, out of UCLA.
But on March 16 of 2024, Cole reported “inflammation” in his right elbow and said that he would be shut down for four-to-six weeks. But just 12 days later, the Yankees placed their ace — who has notched 153 wins and 2,251 strikeouts in his 12-year career — on the 60 day injured list. He did not make his first start last year until June 19.
He went 10-7 with 3.41 ERA in 95 innings the rest of the way, and helped the Yankees reach their first World Series in 15 years, starting five postseason games allowing seven earned runs in 29 innings.
Cole Injury Would be Lowlight of Carnage-Filled Spring
Cole said on Saturday that he was on a special throwing program to protect the elbow this spring.
“We came up with a plan to mitigate the risks and I executed it,” Cole told the media. “I felt the best I had in some time.”
A disabling injury to Cole would be the worst news for the Yankees in a spring training filled with bad news. The Yankees have already lost their power-hitting DH Giancarlo Stanton, as well as two starting pitchers — Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil — for indefinite periods of time.
The organization’s No. 2 pitching prospect Chase Hampton, who was expected to see action on the big league mound at Yankee Stadium this year, already saw his season ended with Tommy John surgery.
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Yankees Bad News Just Gets Worse, $324 Million Ace Gives Painful Update on Elbow