With spring training rolling on for the New York Yankees, the injuries continue to mount for the franchise.
Despite a great offseason for the Yankees, the spring has not been kind to them. While some of their young players have been performing well, they have been hit hard by injuries.
Most notably were key players Giancarlo Stanton and Luis Gil, both being announced that they would be starting the season on the injured list. Now, reports are that Gerrit Cole is dealing with an elbow issue and will be sent for testing.
Cole has been a workhorse throughout his career, but at 34 years old, an elbow issue is never ideal. Last year, the former Cy Young missed a good chunk of the season due to injury and that might end up being the case once again this season.
This is far from an ideal scenario for New York, considering what Cole means to the team and the starting rotation. In five seasons with the Yankees, he has totaled a 59-28 record to go along with a 3.12 ERA.
He has certainly been well worth the money that they have spent on him, but perhaps father time might be creeping in.
The once deep starting rotation for New York is being tested with the injuries to both Cole and Gil. Luckily, they didn’t trade away Marcus Stroman, and they also signed Max Fried this winter.
Signing Fried is really starting to look like an excellent decision with their veteran right-hander out. The southpaw from the Atlanta Braves is an All-Star caliber pitcher and capable of leading this rotation for as long as he needs to.
While the severity of Cole’s injury is yet to be determined, an elbow issue is never a good sign.
For Fried, the pressure will now be on. When he signed, it was to be a compliment to New York’s ace in the top of the rotation. Now, he is going to have to be the ace.
In 2024, the left-hander totaled a 11-10 record with a 3.25 ERA. Fried is no stranger to pitching at an elite level, with a sub-3.00 ERA in both 2023 and 2022.
Even though their ace missing time isn’t a good scenario at all, the Yankees are fortunate to have a pitcher the caliber of their new southpaw already in the rotation.
Pitching in New York is never easy, and the pressure has certainly been amplified for Fried heading into the season.
Hopefully, Cole will be back sooner rather than later, but if he isn’t, the Yankees at least have another ace up their sleeve.
