Monday was not a good day for the New York Yankees from an injury standpoint. Gerrit Cole underwent an MRI on his elbow and his official diagnosis has yet to be determined. The Yankees are hoping for the best, but nothing has been revealed yet. It was also revealed later on Monday that pitcher Luke Weaver was scratched from his Tuesday start due to a stiff neck, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

Weaver, 30, joined the Yankees in 2023 and pitched to a 3.38 ERA across 13.1 innings. He's pitched at the big league level since 2016, and is a veteran who can offer crucial depth. Weaver also has both starting and relief experience, so he provides versatility as well.

The primary focus will obviously be on reigning American League Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole's injury status. The Yankees expect to know more within the next day or two. Still, Weaver's status will be worth monitoring, as he could play an important role for New York in 2024.

Yankees' injury concerns

Yankees fans are likely thinking about the team's injury-plagued 2023 campaign. Sure, the ball club did not perform all that well. And they don't want to make excuses. But there is no denying the fact that injuries played far too big of a role in 2023 for the Yankees.

New York is hoping to avoid a similar narrative in 2024. They have enough talent to make a playoff run and bounce back after missing the postseason in 2023, but staying healthy will be of the utmost importance.

If Cole is forced to miss any time, either Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes, or Marcus Stroman will start Opening Day. But Yankees fans don't even want to have that discussion yet. They are still hoping that Gerrit Cole will be completely fine and return as soon as possible.