Yankees ace pitcher to undergo MRI
THE pitching staff of longtime rivals New York and Boston are hurting as the regular season approaches.
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will have an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of his right elbow after experiencing issues recovering following spring training starts while Red Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito will have surgery on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) and be out indefinitely.
Both Cole and Giolito have been durable in their careers.
Cole, the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner, has made at least 30 starts in each of the last six full regular seasons. The 29-yearold Giolito, who agreed to a $38.5-million, two-year deal with the Red Sox during the offseason, has pitched at least 160 innings in five of the last six seasons.
The Yankees had been bringing the 33-year-old Cole along slowly this spring, having him throw fewer pitches during his outings than the rest of the rotation. Still, Cole reported feeling a higher level of fatigue than usual between starts.
“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,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said 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.”
Cole is entering the fifth season of a $324-million, nine-year contract that pays $36 million annually. He has the right to opt out after the season and become a free agent, but if he opts out, the Yankees can lock him up by adding a guaranteed $36-million salary for 2029.
Giolito reported discomfort in his elbow after getting tagged during a spring training appearance on March 1. He traveled to Alabama last week to get a second opinion from Dr. Jeffrey R.Dugas before opting for surgery, the extent of which is still uncertain.
“Lucas is having surgery tomorrow. The extent of it, we don’t know yet. We know it’s with the ligament,” manager Alex Cora said. “So, we’ll know more tomorrow when they go in. The type of surgery, we don’t know yet.”