TAMPA, FL. – New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is not throwing for the next three to four weeks, he disclosed over the weekend.
Specifically, he has been dealing with nerve inflammation and edema, which is fluid buildup in the body’s tissues.
“I think we determined that we just got a little too hot a little too quick this spring,” Cole said.
“Just rest and recovery.”
Red flags arose when Cole began complaining about difficulties recovering between his spring training starts, prompting an MRI last Monday. He underwent further and ultimately flew to Los Angeles to consult with noted surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who initially took Tommy John surgery off the table.
Cole is expected to miss 10 to 12 weeks before returning to the mound, meaning a late May or early June return is a best-case scenario.
“Even before he flew [to Los Angeles], when I had a chance to sit down with him I felt really good by my interaction with him,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “Gerrit being thorough, he wanted to check all boxes so obviously ElAttrache was the cherry on top.”
In the meantime, Cashman is relaxed about the situation, putting faith in his Cy Young pitcher.
“My interaction with [Cole] gave me a lot of comfort,” he continued. “I trust Gerrit, I really
trust his knowledge of himself and his knowledge of his craft and also the strength that he
shows, going ‘listen, I want to do a deep dive here just in case.’ Thankful that he did.”
While the Yankees held their breath on Cole’s status last week, star slugger Aaron Judge was also dealing with an abdominal issue that shut him down from hitting.
There appears to be little concern from Cashman.
“[His injury] was just something that popped up, it happens to be March so we can give it the
time to eradicate it,” Cashman explained. “I react to, in his particular case, what the doctors tell me, and they’re like ‘he’s good, just give him some time.’ As far as I’m concerned, that’s in the rearview mirror, even though he hasn’t played; it’s more of a timing issue.”
Top prospect Jasson Dominguez, who underwent Tommy John surgery in September, is progressing well. However, it is still unclear if Dominguez will be available immediately after he comes off the 60-day IL, Cashman called it a to-be-determined situation but “so far, so good.”
