Aaron Judge may be ready to go for the regular season opener when the New York Yankees take on the Houston Astros on March 28, but Aaron Boone will have to come up with a new starting pitcher for MLB’s Opening Day.
According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, Gerrit Cole will be out for one to two months. Cole is headed to Los Angeles for further analysis from popular sports surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache, where the Yankees’ ace’s ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) will be evaluated.
Based on the information they have so far, the Yankees don’t believe there is a tear in Cole’s pitching elbow, yet, there’s still enough concern where everyone felt an in-person visit was necessary.
If the one-to-two month timeline is true, Cole will have a chance at returning sometime in May or possibly early June if everything goes according to plan. While the Yankees previously believed Cole was simply dealing with routine soreness typically felt from ramping up activity during spring training, the persistent pain has yet to subside.
Depending on the severity of Cole’s injury, we could see the Yankees become more active on the trade market, possibly even for someone like Chicago’s Dylan Cease. Otherwise reliable pitching options remain in free agency, such as Blake Snell or former Yankee Jordan Montgomery.
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