Merely weeks before opening day, the New York Yankees' best pitcher has just been dealt a potentially season-altering injury.
Monday morning, Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed that 2023 AL Cy Young Gerrit Cole will have an MRI on his right elbow on Monday.
Gerrit Cole is having an MRI on his pitching elbow, Aaron Boone told reporters in Clearwater.
— Bryan Hoch ?? (@BryanHoch) March 11, 2024
"[Cole's] recovery, before getting to his next start, has been more akin to what he feels during the season, when he's making 100 pitches," Boone said Monday from BayCare Ballpark, before the Yankees played the Phillies.
"When he's at 45 [pitches] and building to 55," Boone said, "he usually doesn't have the recovery issues he's having."
So while Cole's injury might not sound too severe on the surface, the fact that the Yankees' best pitcher is experiencing elbow discomfort before the regular season even starts is extremely alarming.
In addition, a UCL injury — which would be the worst-case-scenario for Cole — manifests in many different ways and is difficult to diagnose without an MRI reading. Which is to say there's no telling how severe of an arm injury Cole might have until the MRI results are read.
In addition to his outstanding production and dependability, Cole is unique among his peers in that he has never required Tommy John surgery in his career — yet.
While Boone did note that Cole is experiencing more of a discomfort in his arm, as opposed to pain, this doesn't necessarily mean that Cole — and the Yankees — managed to avoid the worst possible fate.
At this point, the best-case scenario is Monday's MRI will reveal that Cole has no structural or UCL damage in his arm, which would probably mean he misses a start or two at the beginning of the year before returning to the mound.
The worst-case scenario is that Cole would miss the entire season, and the Yankees' World Series hopes could be dashed before opening day.
