Oh boy Yankee fans, hold your breath because this could be bad.
Both of the Yankees’ highest paid stars got some terrible injury news, with star outfielder Aaron Judge getting shut down temporarily and ace pitcher Gerrit Cole having an elbow MRI, according to multiple sources.
Judge, for his part, seems to only be getting shut down for a few days as a precaution. He’s sitting out of games and batting practice until Wednesday due to being “mid-spring beat up,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporter Bryan Hoch.
Boone said that Aaron Judge is “mid-spring beat up.” He’s not in his scheduled BP group. Not expected to play again until Wednesday, Boone said.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 11, 2024
While that’s not concerning on it’s face, it’s a little early to already be hurting, as spring training isn’t even a month old yet.
But the real concern comes for ace starting pitcher Gerrit Cole, who will undergo an MRI on his throwing elbow, Boone also told reporters, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will have an MRI on his right elbow, manager Aaron Boone told reporters today. Cole is coming off winning the American League Cy Young Award and has had difficulty bouncing back between spring training starts, Boone said.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 11, 2024
Cole had been having trouble bouncing back between starts, noting he felt as tired after his limited spring appearances as he normally would after a 100-pitch regular season start, according to Hoch. (RELATED: Legendary Baseball Slugger Trends Online For Unbelievably Absurd Reason)
Boone said that Gerrit Cole has been having trouble with his recovery between starts. According to Boone, Cole likened it to what he feels during the season after 100 pitches.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 11, 2024
The Yankees have committed a combined $684 million between the two stars — $324 million for Cole and $360 million for Judge.
The news sent Yankee fans into a tizzy online, with many of them posting borderline suicidal reactions.
Yankees fans after hearing about Gerrit Cole. pic.twitter.com/f6ejqMpX5v
— Evan Daniel (@itsmrevandaniel) March 11, 2024
Gerrit Cole MRI on his pitching elbow I think I’m done with sports pic.twitter.com/548qVBOgqF
— Stanzo (@ncostanzo24) March 11, 2024
Yankee fans should be worried. If either one of these guys gets hurt for an extended period of time, their odds of winning the World Series drop precipitously. If BOTH get hurt… well, you can kiss the ring hopes goodbye.
However, at least one reporter is claiming the MRI is simply a precaution, as SNY’s Andy Martino chimed in to try and quell some of the more hysterical fans by claiming that the “initial feeling is not one of extreme concern.”
Hearing the word “precautionary” regarding Gerrit Cole’s elbow MRI. One never knows what an MRI shows, but initial feeling is not one of extreme concern. So far, no impact on Blake Snell btw
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) March 11, 2024