Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees seem to have avoided a worst-case scenario.
The Yankees' ace and reigning Cy Young winner will skip Tommy John surgery, instead Thursday with surgeon T. After meeting Neil L'Atrache, he will go with a rest and rehab routine after throwing his elbow. MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. Cole's timetable is believed to be around 10-12 weeks.
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The result confirms previous reports on Cole's health, which indicated he could miss a month or two. The 10-week schedule that begins Thursday could mean a mid-May return for Cole, who will start the season on the injured list.
Concerns surrounding Cole's elbow have gradually increased over the past few days as the Yankees have put him through a series of medical consultations. It's not hard to understand why the Yankees should be cautious with the right-hander, as there shouldn't be a team in the MLB that can't afford to lose its best starter for a significant amount of time.
With Cole out, the Yankees will enter 2024 with a rotation of something along the lines of Nestor Cortez, Carlos Roden, Marcus Stroman, Clark Schmidt and Clayton Peter. Despite the Yankees' upgrades elsewhere, it's not a team that screams AL East contender.
With a fully healthy goaltender last year, the Yankees finished 82-80, 19 games behind the division champion Baltimore Orioles. The team could still theoretically sign a free-agent pitcher like Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery, but how the Yankees approached those players this offseason would require a significant change.
