Gerrit Cole injury: Yankees ace to undergo MRI on elbow in scary threat to already shaky rotation

New York Yankees ace and reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole will have an MRI on his pitching elbow, manager Aaron Boone said Monday (per MLB.com). Boone said Cole was not recovering well between outings, thus the cause for concern. Cole threw two innings and 39 pitches in his spring debut on March 1. He has not appeared in a game since, but he did throw 45-50 pitches in a simulated game on March 7.

Furthermore, Boone said captain Aaron Judge is “mid-spring beat up,” and he will sit out Monday’s and Tuesday’s games (per MLB.com). Judge exited Sunday’s game two or three innings and one or two at-bats earlier than the other regulars. He has been played playing center field every other day this spring, indicating whatever is bothering him isn’t too serious. 

As for Cole, it goes without saying that losing him for any length of time would be a devastating blow to a Yankees team that is trying to return to the postseason after going 82-80 in 2023, the franchise’s worst record in three decades. He is one of the most indispensable players in the game not only because of his excellence, but also his durability. Cole last missed a start for a non-COVID reason in 2016.

The Yankees traded four pitchers, including Michael King and depth starters Jhony Brito and Randy Vásquez, for Juan Soto over the winter. As things stand, their rotation depth chart looks like this:

A long-term injury to Cole could push the Yankees into the market for a starting pitcher. Reigning NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell and former Yankee Jordan Montgomery remain unsigned free agents, and either would be a significant upgrade to New York’s rotation, with or without Cole. Whether the Yankees engage Scott Boras, who also represents Cole, on Montgomery or Snell remains to be seen.

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Cole, 33, can opt out of the remaining four years and $144 million remaining on his contract after the season, though the Yankees can void the opt out by exercising a one-year club option worth $36 million. Obviously a major elbow injury could affect that decision, though that is still a ways away.

Last season, Cole led the league in innings (209), ERA (2.63), ERA+ (165), WHIP (0.98), and WAR (7.4), among other things. He missed approximately six weeks spread across two injured list stints with elbow inflammation while with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016. That is the only other arm injury of his career.