The New York Yankees’ $300 million man Gerrit Cole will miss at least one to two months with an injury to his ulnar collateral ligament, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported.
Cole will travel to Los Angeles to be evaluated by sports surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache, according to Heyman.
https://t.co/s58gA8Usm0. Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will be out at least 1-2 months and has an appointment to fly to LA to see noted surgeon Neal ElAttrache @nypostsports has learned
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 13, 2024
The Yanks initially raised eyebrows when manager Aaron Boone reportedly announced Cole would undergo an MRI after experiencing elbow fatigue Monday.
While some fans may be relieved, as preliminary imaging did not detect a tear in Cole’s UCL, the team expects him to be unavailable for an “extended period,” according to Heyman.
This is it folks. This is the hole in the Death Star. This is how the Yankees reign of terror over the rest of the MLB ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper.
You may think that’s overreaction but hear me out.
For starters, the Yankees have been far from transparent about their injured stars in recent years, leading to a massive swell of mistrust and resentment from their fans. “Can’t trust them. We have legit trust issues with the Yankees,” WFAN broadcaster and noted Yankee fan Keith McPherson lamented Tuesday. “I know they think they’re smarter than everybody…but they have a lot of smart fans that don’t miss a beat…you can’t lie.”
So right off the bat, we have decent reason to believe Cole’s injury is more serious than a one or two month stint on the injured list. This in addition to the fact that ElAttrache would like to schedule additional tests on Cole’s elbow, Heyman reported.
Even if Cole only misses two months, that’s a huge chunk for a guy who’s been their best and most reliable player for years. The Bronx Bombers have leaned on Cole heavily in his four years with the team. The absolute workhorse has pitched 664 innings for the Yankees since 2020, more than any other pitcher in the league. It’s no wonder the Yankees made him the highest paid pitcher in MLB history at the time with a $324 million deal. (RELATED: MLB Superstar Appears To Molest His Mother In Bizarre Instagram Video)
To top it off, the Yanks went all-in on 2024, mortgaging their future and a bevy of young pitchers for a one-year rental of superstar outfielder Juan Soto. The Yankees shipped out Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito and Randy Vazquez — all young and controllable pitchers under the age of 29 — to the San Diego Padres for a year of Soto’s services. While they wouldn’t have made the deal without hopes they could sign Soto to a long term contract, that extension is nowhere near guaranteed.
Throw in their already-fatiguing superstar in Aaron Judge and the Yankees could be looking at their first losing season since 1992. While I would never root for such a tragic and drastic event to occur, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t relish the tears of all my obnoxious Yankee fan friends whose retort to every baseball-related slight to their team is “27 rings!!!”
Get used to saying 27 rings folks, it’s gonna stay that way for a while.