TAMPA, Fla. -- Gerrit Cole said he is “concerned” about the state of his pitching elbow and the potential of surgery after the right-hander experienced discomfort following a Grapefruit League start on Thursday, which prompted an initial round of diagnostic imaging.
“We have an initial idea, but we’re going to wait to see exactly what everybody says before we come to our conclusion,” Cole said Saturday at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
It is the second consecutive spring with an injury issue for Cole, who won the 2023 American League Cy Young Award and then was sidelined last March by right elbow inflammation and edema that delayed his regular-season debut until June.
Less than a year ago, Cole traveled to Los Angeles for an additional opinion on his barking elbow, a journey that prompted relief when Dr. Neal ElAttrache opined that the injury could be rehabbed without surgery. Cole said Saturday that no similar travel has been booked yet.
“I’ve still got some hope,” Cole said. “I’m still just waiting for the experts to weigh in.”
The Yanks have been slammed by injuries this spring, with designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton and infielder DJ LeMahieu among those expected to begin the season on the injured list. The rotation has also lost AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, as the right-hander is expected to miss at least three months with a right lat strain.
New York’s other starters include Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Marcus Stroman and Clarke Schmidt.
“There’s no way to sugar coat it -- he’s a top of the league guy and has been an ace in this league for a long, long time,” Schmidt said of Cole. “He’ll be missed if it’s something longer-term. Regardless, I think we’ve got to pick him up as a staff. I know we did a pretty good job of that in the first half last year when he was gone, and I think we’re very well capable of doing that again.”
If Cole’s injury proves significant, rookie right-hander Will Warren is a leading candidate to draw starts, with non-roster invitees Carlos Carrasco and Allan Winans also in the mix.
The 25-year-old Warren has pitched to a 1.13 ERA across eight innings this spring. He was 0-3 with a 10.32 ERA in six games (five starts) at the big league level last season.
“The situation sucks, [losing] the Rookie of the Year and then Gerrit, who’s done it well for so long,” Warren said. “It’s an unfortunate spot, but definitely there’s an opportunity there. That’s what I’ve been working for, just staying ready for when that opportunity presented itself.”
Last season, Cole was 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 17 regular-season starts, then made five starts in the postseason, including Games 1 and 5 of the World Series against the Dodgers. Cole, who opted out of his contract and then quickly opted back in after the World Series, said he experienced no physical issues during the offseason.
“I’ve been getting after it since November,” Cole said. “The organization and I came up with this plan to mitigate the risks, and I executed it.”
On Thursday, Cole surrendered six runs over 2 2/3 innings to the Twins, an outing in which Cole said he had too much “horsepower” behind his pitches and not enough command.
Cole was clocked as high as 97.6 mph with his fastball, averaging 95.7 mph, but allowed two homers on pitches in the middle of the plate.
“There were a lot of good things that were happening in the game the other day, but as I got home, I just continued to get more and more sore,” Cole said. “When I woke up [Friday] morning, something wasn’t right. … It was tough to sleep. It was alarming.”