On Monday, when news dropped that Yankees ace Gerrit Cole needed an MRI on his right elbow, there was a noticeable lack of panic emanating from Yankeeland. Words like “precautionary” were thrown around, rather than words like “Oh, s--t.”
Now we understand why -- but we also understand that Cole and the Yankees are not yet out of the woods.
When a pitcher goes in for an MRI on his elbow or forearm, the worst-case scenario instantly becomes season-ending Tommy John surgery. The best-case is anything else.
For Cole, preliminary imaging did not show any ligament tears, according to league sources. But, as reported by the New York Post, enough concern lingers that Cole will fly to Los Angeles for a visit with renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
The upshot: The Yankees dodged their doomsday scenario at first, but don’t yet have final confirmation that Cole will pitch this year. For that, they will wait anxiously for ElAttrache’s opinion.
Either way, the Yankees will lose Cole for a while. He was not recovering as expected from his spring training appearances, and the discomfort was serious enough to lead to the MRI.
If the diagnosis of no ligament tear holds, Cole would almost certainly have to shut down for a while for rest and treatment. Any pitcher would then need at least the amount of time that he was shut down to build back up.
Looking at the calendar, the current best-scenario would have Cole missing a month or two -- but that, of course, will depend on how the rehab goes.
Meanwhile, Cole’s injury has not inspired the Yankees to change their stance on signing Blake Snell. A trade for Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease is also unlikely.
