New York Yankees right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole was placed on the 60-day injured list ahead of Thursday’s season-opener against the Houston Astros. Cole won’t throw for three to four weeks because of nerve irritation and edema in his throwing elbow, with the hope the rest will help his elbow recover. New York also placed pitchers Tommy Kahnle (shoulder) and McKinley Moore (knee) on the 15-day injured list and infielders DJ LeMahieu (foot) and Oswald Peraza (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Monday.
ESPN reports that on March 16, “Cole said he wouldn’t throw for three to four weeks in an effort to heal his ailing throwing elbow,” telling reporters that nerve irritation and edema were the source of his problem, with rest and recovery the prescription. Cole said before Saturday’s game against Toronto: “I think we’ve determined that we just got a little too hot a little too quick. I just got to a certain point where we just didn’t hit baseline and recovery. That’s important at this time of the year.”
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said if the team needed a 40-man roster spot that Cole would be placed on the 60-day injured list, which means the earliest the AL Cy Young award winner could be back is late May. Said Cashman: “I feel really comfortable based on all the feedback and the experts that were involved in deciding to go (with) rest. Best-case scenario we wouldn’t be dealing with anything, right? But second-best case, right?”
Cole is coming off a Cy Young season that saw him post a 2.63 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 222 strikeouts in 209 innings. He led the AL with 33 starts in 2023, with his ERA, WHIP and strikeout numbers all the best in the American League.
The righty is entering the fifth season of a $324 million, nine-year contract that pays $36 million annually. He has the right to opt out after the season and become a free agent, but if he opts out the Yankees can void the opt-out by adding a guaranteed $36 million salary for 2029.
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