Gerrit Cole's comments on possible elbow injury have Yankees fans hitting new low

As New York Yankees fans were trying to enjoy their Friday night, they were hit with injury news either right before bedtime or just as they cracked their eighth beer. Gerrit Cole joined the litany of pitching injuries that were reported earlier in the day.

After learning Clarke Schmidt, Tyler Matzek and Clayton Beeter officially wouldn't be ready for Opening Day, Cole and the Yankees revealed the right-hander will undergo imaging on his right elbow due to soreness persisting after his most recent outing on Thursday. He gave up six runs in that game, but nobody seemed to bat an eye because it's been evident Cole has been experimenting with his changeup and sinker this spring.

Cole missed half of the 2024 season due to inflammation in that elbow, and it limited him to 17 starts as fans nervously waited for the other shoe to drop. Rarely do these types of issues result in happy endings.

But Cole lasted through the postseason. He should've had a World Series to remember if it weren't for his manager or his defense. And now we're here. Everybody was gearing up for a full season of Cole and Max Fried atop the rotation, and now it's looking like Fried might've just been a $218 million insurance policy.

Cole commented on the situation Saturday morning following the late-night Friday news, and fans aren't feeling any better about it.

Yankees Injury Update: Gerrit Cole dealing with elbow issues again

About a year ago, the Yankees sent Cole for an MRI after he was dealing with some discomfort, and shortly after they were hit with news that he would be out for a few months. Thankfully, Luis Gil stepped up and won AL Rookie of the Year as a result of the vacancy in the rotation, but the Yankees don't have that luxury this time around.

Gil is probably out until at least June. Schmidt won't be traveling north with the team in a few weeks (and nobody believes he will be ready for his projected April 3 start against the Diamondbacks). Marcus Stroman has looked particularly bad so far. Carlos Rodón is a complete wild card. Will Warren has looked really good, but he's still an unknown commodity. There was no world in which the Yankees could afford losing someone like Cole for a long period of time.

Cole admitted he was concerned and that "something isn't right". It's yet another offseason of Injury Hell for the Yankees. A never-ending nightmare.

It's absolutely not an exaggeration to say the 2025 season would be in jeopardy if Cole needs elbow surgery, regardless of what one might deem as "optimistic" or "pessimistic" coverage. The Yankees already had an incomplete roster after they decided to cut themselves off from making more moves once they added Paul Goldschmidt at the end of December.

The one area of strength, without question, was the rotation, especially when the projections had Marcus Stroman as the No. 6 or 7 starter. Now, depending on what happens with Cole, Stroman could be the No. 4 with Warren unquestionably behind him at No. 5. It's certainly not the worst outcome, but depending on how the offense and bullpen respond, it's far from ideal based on what the Yankees thought they had just a couple weeks ago.