Gerrit Cole is intent on returning from what he described as a "disaster" season for the New York Yankees in 2023 when they failed to make the playoffs.
Unfortunately, he might miss the opening day and much more, as he is currently dealing with elbow fatigue, the type that manager Aaron Boone is unable to explain.
The six-time All-Star, who is in his fifth season of the $324 million, nine-year contract he signed in 2019, is recovering from a pitch elbow injury.
However, his recovery hit a snag. Boone said he would have to undergo an MRI due to his unusual recovery issues.
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"He described it as his recovery, leading into his next start, has been more akin to what he feels in the season when he's making 100 pitches," Boone told reporters on Monday.
"He usually doesn't have the recovery issues he's having. It's been more of a challenge, more taxing. So we're going to get an MRI to see what we're dealing with here."
Last month, Boone spoke about how health is an excellent factor in their redemption campaign.
How long will Cole be out?
There are no words yet on how much time Cole will miss. It will all depend on the results of his MRI (to be taken on Tuesday).
The emotions within the team suggest they are dealing with something drastic.
"I know he's been dealing with some stuff, as every pitcher is during spring training,'' pitcher Nestor Cortes told reporters at GMS Field.
"I didn't know how serious it was until now."
He added that Cole's injury is "alarming for everybody."
The 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner is not the type to miss a significant amount of games.
The most significant absence in his 11-year MLB career was in 2016, when he was still with the Pittsburgh Pirates and limited to 16 starts due to inflammation in his elbow.
It would be regretful if Cole misses some parts of the season after his statements last month about how the Yankees should deal with their new campaign.
He lamented how they dealt with too many injuries as a group and called on the team to use their failed 2023 season as motivation to get better.
Pitcher situation on the Yankees
Juan Soto was very impressive during the spring training, but the pitching rotation would be heavily affected if Cole missed many games.
Free agency was not kind to the club, as they failed to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was netted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in a record $325 million deal.
Blake Snell is the best pitcher left in the market, but he declined the Yankees' five-year, $150 million offer because he thought he could get a better deal.
They did sign Marcus Stroman for a short-term (2 years) deal, and he will, for now, serve as their starting pitcher.
Fans can only hope that Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes will be able to bounce back and that right-hander Clarke Schmidt's development will accelerate.
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