The New York Yankees got some upsetting news before the regular season even started. Pitcher Gerrit Cole was announced to be out “one to two months,” as reported by the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. On March 18, before the Yankees season opener against the Houston Astros, Cole revealed when he plans to return.
“Cole said before the game he’s feeling good and hopes to be back around what’s often whispered as the target date for his return, June 1,” wrote Heyman in a March 28 story.
Gerrit Cole’s Injury
Cole had participated in simulated games during spring training. He made his only Grapefruit League game appearance on March 1 and “compared his level of tiredness following outings to what he normally would feel after throwing 100 pitches during the regular season,” reported MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch on March 16.
Cole went to Los Angeles to meet with specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache. It was decided he would not need Tommy John Surgery, according to Hoch.
“I think we determined that we just got a little too hot a little too quick this spring,” Cole said on March 16. “We progressed through the normal recovery cycle, but at a certain time we didn’t get back to the baseline which was our target. At that point, it was time to see what was going on.”
The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner was diagnosed with nerve inflammation and edema. He would not require platelet-rich plasma injections, according to Hoch.
The Yankees missing Cole to start the season is a big blow to the club. Cole’s 2.53 ERA, 15-4 record and 209.0 innings pitched all led the American League.
Yankees Plan Without Cole
Since joining the Yankees, Cole has been virtually absent from the injured list. He had starts 33 starts in each of the last two seasons and 30 in 2021. Cole had made four consecutive Opening Day starts for the Yankees before this season.
“It’s not a common experience for me; I haven’t really dealt with anything like this before,” Cole said to Hoch when asked about his thoughts on going to see a specialist. “Anytime you’re going through something for the first time, there’s a little bit of uncertainty, but I had a lot of faith.”
Nestor Cortes started on opening day for the Yankees on March 28 against the Astros. The Yankees won in comeback fashion after trailing 4-0 after just two innings. Cortes allowed four runs in five innings of work. He punched out five Astros hitters.
Carlos Rodón will start the second game of the series on March 29. Marcus Stroman will follow him on March 30.
The Yankees rotation is awaiting the return of Cole, but he is confident that they can lead the way while he works his way back.
“We’re solid,” Cole told Hoch on March 16. “Our guys are looking good and ready to go.”
On March 16, Cole revealed the plan was to go three to four weeks without throwing, and then ramp up towards a return, according to Hoch. This would give Cole around seven to eight weeks to ramp up if he plans to return to the rotation by the June 1 target.
