Fans of the New York Yankees can now breathe more easily. After being scratched from a scheduled start on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies, Gerrit Cole will “likely start this weekend” against the Toronto Blue Jays, provided that his bullpen session on Friday goes as smoothly as planned, according to Meredith Marakovits, Yankees clubhouse reporter for YES.
Cole reported “no throwing issues”, per Marakovits, lending further credence to the idea that he did not miss his start due to any sort of arm issue. Instead, the Yankees starter was indeed going through general fatigue, which could be remedied by a couple days of rest.
The Yankees get a major break from the schedule as well. They are off on Thursday, giving them a day of rest following the conclusion of their hotly-contested series against the Phillies. Their series against the Blue Jays begins on Friday at 7:05 PM E.T., and it's looking like Gerrit Cole is in line to start on Sunday, the final game of the three-game set.
Gerrit Cole has yet to get going for the Yankees in 2024
There was major concern surrounding the Yankees' starting pitching at the beginning of 2024. They did not look like a team with a deep rotation whatsoever, so losing Gerrit Cole for a few months put them in such a vulnerable state. But the Yankees weathered the storm, thanks to the emergence of a few young guys, most notably Luis Gil.
Cole returned in late June and has since started seven games, pitching a total of 35 regular-season innings for the Yankees in 2024. However, the 33-year-old hasn't exactly pitched to his usual standards. On the season, Cole has struggled to the tune of a 5.40 ERA, with peripherals that aren't that much better. According to Fangraphs, he has been worth -0.1 WAR on the season — an uncharacteristic mark.
Thus, it became concerning when the Yankees scratched him from his scheduled Tuesday start. Perhaps his struggles on the season were due to a new arm injury or a re-emergence of the elbow inflammation that kept him out to start the season. But with Cole not feeling any issues with his arm, the Yankees can rest easy, especially when they were not able to acquire a starting pitcher before the trade deadline passed.
For now, the Yankees' probable starters for the next three games are as follows: Nestor Cortes, Marcus Stroman, and Carlos Rodon. They'll be hoping that those three get it done for the team as they await Cole's return to the mound.
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