Cole: Will miss opener amid arm scare
DUNEDIN, Fla. — The Yankees are hoping for the best but planning for the inevitable with Gerrit Cole.
Hope and prayers and the world of the theoretical has given way to the reality that even if the ace’s throwing elbow is OK, he will not be ready for Opening Day.
There was no firm update Tuesday regarding Cole’s right elbow, which required an MRI a day earlier, but there was acknowledgment that even a clean scan would not leave him enough time to build up in time for March 28 in Houston.
The Yankees have begun discussing who will get the ball instead. The most logical candidate would be Marcus Stroman. Arguments could be made for Nestor Cortes or Carlos Rodon, who both are coming off rough seasons and carry injury concerns and high upsides.
“We’ve started to have those conversations,” Aaron Boone said before the Yankees lost to the Blue Jays, 8-1, at TD Ballpark. “I should have something on that for you probably in the next couple days.”
For now, the Yankees’ fingers remain crossed. Cole was undergoing more testing Tuesday, Boone said, without disclosing what those tests consisted of.
“Just more different looks, making sure all the bases are covered,” Boone said as Cole Watch reached Day 2.
Cole recently had told the team he was not bouncing back from his spring outings as he usually does at this time of year. The reigning AL Cy Young winner last pitched in a three-inning, 47-pitch live batting practice session Thursday.
Even if nothing serious is found in the imaging, Cole — who has made just one start in the Grapefruit League — would have to begin building up again with Opening Day just over two weeks away.
Cole has made every Opening Day start for the Yankees since signing his $324 million pact with the club before the 2020 season, his team winning three of the four Opening Days. The last non-Cole pitcher to get the Game 1 nod for the Yankees was Masahiro Tanaka back in 2019.
This year, the odds-on favorite would be Stroman, who has been dependable, if not excellent, for much of his nine-year career. Stroman earned an All-Star nod with the Cubs last season but dealt with injuries in a shortened and poor second half, when he posted a 8.63 ERA in 24 innings.
A healthier Stroman has been solid this spring, most recently stretching out to four innings and 53 pitches over four scoreless
innings against the Blue Jays on Friday.
Apart from Cole, there might not be a Yankees pitcher with a higher ceiling than Rodon, who was an All-Star in 2021 and 2022 but a disaster last year, his first in pinstripes.
“He’s obviously coming off a difficult year,” Boone said of Rodon, who is expected to start Wednesday and has allowed four earned runs in 5 2/₃ Grapefruit League innings. “The reason I’m optimistic is just the work he’s put in this winter and this spring and just the fact that he’s in a way better place physically and mentally than he was at any time last year.
“He’s one of those guys that I think has got to go out there and show us, show the world, show himself that he’s ready for this. I know physically he is.”
It is possible the club bestows the honor on a more-established Yankee such as Cortes, whose 2023 was ruined by rotator
cuff strains. He again briefly stopped throwing because of shoulder issues in December and now believes, after working with Yankees trainers, that he is OK. Cortes has recovered well from his 62pitch outing Saturday, Boone said.
Boone said he spoke with Cole on Tuesday morning and was asked how Cole was handling the situation.
“He’s handling it,” Boone said after a pause. “Right now, it’s … that uncertainty. You try to get your arms around what exactly’s going on in there.”
The Yankees world wants an answer. The team is publicly preaching patience, wanting to be fully sure of a potential diagnosis before an announcement.
“It’s still probably going to be a couple of days before everyone weighs in on it,” Boone said. “See and hope for the best.”