Injuries are starting to stack up for the New York Yankees this Spring, and there is defintily reason for concern.
Ace Gerrit Cole is undergoing imaging on his right elbow, and the prognosis doesn't sound good as the Cy Young Award winner says he's concerned. Meanwhile, it appears that Designated Hitter Giancarlo Stanton could be lost for the season with tennis elbow in both arms.
It's a dire picture for a team that can't afford to lose its top stars, and two of them could be gone before Opening Day arrives.
Cole has had arm issues in the past. Just last season he was shut down for the start of the 2024 season and missed 75 games. When he returned the elbow injury always seemed to hang over his head.
"Something wasn't right. I still got some hope," Cole told reporters on Friday.
The Cole situation sounds eerily similar to what former Met Jacob deGrom went through before going through a second Tommy John Surgery with Texas back in 2023. If you recall deGrom was removed from a game against San Diego back in 2021; the Mets diagnosed it as elbow inflammation. The following season, deGrom didn't return until August after he spent most of the year on the IL with a stress fracture in his shoulder, probably a result of the elbow problem.
After signing with Texas before the 2023 season, deGrom was lost for the year after a few starts.
That could be happening here with Cole, which would be incredibly unfortunate.
Couple this news with the loss of Luis Gil, who is out three months with a lat injury, and the Yankees rotation is going to get tested.
Max Freid is suddenly swung into the No. 1 starters role, with Carlos Rodon, Clark Schmidt, and now, the suddenly valuable, Marcus Stroman behind them.
As for Stanton he called his elbow issues severe, but didn't say surgery was definitely in the offing. Although it is something that could happen, and if it did, would end his season.
Yankees fans can scuff all they want to about Stanton, but there is no question the guy was important in the Yankees lineup. Without him, the Yankees probably don't make it to the World Series.
We'll see how this plays out, but right now, it's sobering news.
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