TAMPA – In the second consecutive March, the Yankees hold their breath on Gerrit Cole's elbow.
The Yankees ace is taking a test on his right elbow. The source was confirmed to Post's John Heyman on Friday night after experiencing discomfort. MLB Network first reported the news.
Cole made his second start of the spring on Thursday afternoon, building up a pitch count of 54, giving up six runs in 2²/₃ innings against the twins.
He said he was happy with the speed of his fastball, which averaged 95.7 mph and reached the top at 97.6 mph after going out, but he struggled with commanding.
Last March, Cole was diagnosed with inflammation and edema of the elbow nerve after only starting one spring start.
The Yankees were hit hard by their rotation this spring as this week's Al Rookie of the Year, Louis Gill, was diagnosed with a high-end latitude stock this week. I'll keep him out until at least June. Marcus Stroman is expected to be a slot in Gill's rotation spot.
If Cole, 34, is forced to miss time, Will Warren will be the next man in the rotation.
The young right-hander has been putting together a strong spring so far, and Gill made the impression of the best call last season while filling his rotation spots, but it's a big ask for Warren to do the same this season as well.
And beyond Warren, the starting depth begins to drop as the next option includes Carlos Carrasco and Alan Winans.
After pitching 95 innings in last year's regular season, Cole made five more starts in the playoffs, posting an ERA 2.17.
A few days after the World Series, Cole closed his contract and hoped the Yankees would deny it by adding an additional year for $36 million to the end of the contract.
However, the Yankees called his bluff and stood on the putt, so instead of exploring a free agency, Cole returned to a four-year and $144 million remaining contract.
“The intention was nothing more than staying,” Cole said last month.
The Yankees are covered by Cole's contract for insurance. This means that if he gets hurt he can recover some money, but that's just a small comfort at this point.
It was only last month that the Yankees rotation was probably the best in their matches against Cole, Max Fried (who signed an eight-year, $218 million contract in December), Carlos Rodon, Gill and Clark Schmidt.
Now it can be confused before they even reach the first day.
Reporting to camp this spring, Cole said he launched his slow program that starts this offseason earlier than in the past few years to keep his arms moving, in an attempt to build the return-to-play protocol he experienced last season.
He felt physically in a good place, but more than a month later, an MRI was set up to determine his fate again.
