Quick thoughts on the latest news regarding Gerrit Cole’s elbow

Details about Gerrit Cole’s elbow are beginning to trickle in. Aaron Boone confirmed Wednesday that Cole is heading to Los Angeles to consult with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, and multiple reports used similar language – “no tear has been detected” – to describe his UCL. That is not the same thing as “there is no tear,” unfortunately, and there’s a reason Cole’s seeing Dr. ElAttrache. They’re still trying to get the complete picture.

Those same reports say Cole will miss at least 1-2 months, which seems like a best case scenario. That’s essentially a two-week shutdown period to let any inflammation clear out, then a Spring Training style build up. The “at least” part might be doing some heavy lifting there. Ultimately, until Cole and the Yankees have a full diagnosis and treatment plan, any talk of timetables is guesswork and a bit pointless.

"He had the MRI, CT scans, and x-rays yesterday,” Boone said Wednesday (via Chris Kirschner). “Now he's flying to L.A. to see ElAttrache, and more tests I believe tomorrow. We're still in the gathering of information (stage). And then everyone's got to weigh in to determine what exactly we have."

With the caveat that it’s very easy to be pessimistic about elbow issues, I don’t feel all that good about this. There is obviously concern about the ligament, that’s why Cole is seeing Dr. ElAttrache, and MRIs are not always definitive. Walker Buehler had a bunch of inconclusive imaging two years ago. It wasn’t until Dr. ElAttrache actually got into Buehler’s elbow that it was determined he needed Tommy John surgery.

The Yankees should proceed as if Cole will not be available in 2024 and act accordingly. Anything he gives them is a bonus. This is their one guaranteed year with Juan Soto, so “act accordingly” in this case means go get pitching. The Yankees could have used another starter even before Cole got hurt. Now they definitely need one. Cole is irreplaceable. All the Yankees can do is fill his innings as capably as possible.

Over the last 36 hours or so it’s been reported the Yankees have re-engaged the White Sox about Dylan Cease, with the Padres and Rangers also in the mix. First came word the Yankees are back in on Cease, then came word the Padres and Rangers are involved too. Did the White Sox leak that to up the pressure on the Yankees? Beats me. Texas has supposedly been lurking for weeks, so I buy their interest.

Ideally the Yankees would have gotten Cease over the winter so he and Matt Blake and the pitching folks had Spring Training and a nice long runway to work on any adjustments, but there’s no going back now. Cease has considerable upside and he leads baseball in starts the last three years. Cole and Sandy Alcantara are reminders that pitchers are durable up until they aren’t, but Cease is the best available combination of upside and volume (two years of control is nice too).

Of course, Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell are still unsigned with Opening Day two weeks away, and Snell is said to be open to a short-term contract with opt outs (Montgomery is holding out for a long-term deal). These are the Yankees and they can/should just throw money at their problems. I’d be happy with Cease, but there’s a path to keeping the prospects while still adding a quality starter. Why not go that route?

It sounds like it’ll be another day or two until the Yankees get (or tell us) a full diagnosis and treatment plan for their ace. I totally get being cautious and sending him for multiple opinions. That’s smart. Doesn’t make me any less anxious though. Losing Cole for even 1-2 months is a major blow and I fear the Yankees may lose him for even longer than that. The sooner the Yankees bring in someone to replace him, the better.