When news broke in early March around Major League Baseball spring training camps that reigning 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole was being shut down with nerve inflammation in his right elbow, there was a foreboding sense of doom and gloom for Yankees fans all over the world.
Cole, 33, one of baseball’s most durable and decorated stars, wasn’t recovering as quickly as he had in previous spring training workouts, so something clearly was not right with his elbow.
So, after rest and numerous tests and a trip to Los Angeles to visit renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache, it was determined that Cole would undergo non-surgical treatment. According to various media outlets, the timetable for Cole to be back in action is 10-12 weeks.
We are now a little more than a month into Cole’s return timetable.
The Yankee ace received some encouraging news last week after not experiencing any discomfort in his pitching elbow after throwing for the first time since being shut down on March 11.
Yanks excel in Cole’s absence
That’s all very good news.
Then there is this glaringly positive factoid.
Despite the Yankees obviously missing their ace, it hasn’t impacted their on-field results. Through the first 16 games of the 2024 MLB regular season, the Yankees have compiled the best record in the majors at 12-4. This is an extremely positive development for the Bronx Bombers as Cole’s return would only enhance results.
But the question for the Yankee brass is a simple one.
Why rush him back?
Oh, please don’t misunderstand.
Gerrit Cole is a power pitcher.
He throws hard.
He is a tough competitor.
The Yankees are a better team when he takes the ball every fifth day.
But right now, the Yankees are winning with significant contributions from other players including second-year shortstop Anthony Volpe (.383 on 21 hits, 8 RBI and 21 runs scored); first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who raised his average from .245 to .281 after the recently concluded series against the Guardians; and the electric and better than advertised right fielder Juan Soto, who is hitting a sizzling .344 with three home runs, 21 hits and 15 RBI. Soto, a generational talent who could command a contract exceeding $500 million dollars next spring, has significantly made the Yankees offense better what with his disciplined approach at the plate which has become contagious within the club’s lineup as left fielder Alex Verdugo, Volpe and others have emulated Soto’s metronome-like consistency at the plate.
As a Mets fan this pains me to say lol but the Yankees lineup 1-5 is outrageous!!
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) April 13, 2024
And let’s not forget about Cody Poteet, a 29-year-old right hander who was on the mound for his first MLB appearance since 2022 on Saturday against the Guardians during a day/night doubleheader.
Knowing that he had an opportunity to turn some heads with a solid outing, Poteet, a native of San Diego, California pitched six innings (77 pitches, 50 strikes) giving up one run on six hits while striking out four.
Since Opening Day, the Yankees, knowing that they would be without Cole at least until the end of May and possibly the middle of June, have relied on solid starting pitching, improved defense, a stout bullpen, and a productive offense that is averaging 4.94 runs per game. New York has faced off against five teams (Houston, Arizona, Toronto, Florida and Cleveland) and have won all five series’ including a season-opening sweep in Houston against the Astros at Minute Maid Park.
The formula for the Yankees to get back to the postseason is the one they have used to post the best record in the game thus far.
The pitching staff, the offense and the bullpen must carry the Bronx Bombers until Cole gets back and until 2022 American League MVP Aaron Judge heats up after a rather slow start at the plate.
There have been several other encouraging signs.
Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton has four home runs through 16 games and veteran infielder DJ LeMahieu, who traveled with the team to both Cleveland and Toronto, continues to rehab a foot injury suffered early in spring training and could return to the lineup by early May.
Despite Judge not doing a whole lot in the season opening series against the Astros, the Yankees won four times in four games anyway, and winning when Judge didn’t contribute just didn’t happen very often the last two years. Shut Judge down and you shut the Yankees down. In 106 games played last year, Judge went hitless 43 times, and the Yankees were 16-27 in those 43 games. In the 63 games Judge did get a hit, they were 41-22.
We should also include Gleyber Torres in the discussion of how the Yankees get hot and stay hot all season. Judge and Torres were, by far, New York’s two best hitters in 2023.
This year’s team includes Soto, an improved Volpe, Verdugo, a solid left-handed hitter, a healthy Rizzo and an improved Stanton.
At some point, the Yankees will need Judge and Torres to produce. They are important players and can’t just tag along for the ride. The Astros series and the just concluded three-game set against the Guardians show that, thanks largely to Soto, the Yankees are no longer so heavily reliant on Judge to generate offense. When he has a bad night or a bad series, they can still grind out wins. In the past, that was very difficult.
Throughout the first couple of series’, Yankees players showed all kinds of emotion and attitude. Soto, naturally at the center of his debut series in Houston, led the way, pounding his chest, pointing his glove, tossing his bat and screaming as he demonized the Astros.
“I always want to be up in that situation,” the poised slugger said after notching a go-ahead single off lethal lefty Josh Hader which gave New York a 4-3 come-from-behind win and four-game series sweep over the hated Astros two weeks ago. “That’s what we play for. We all know there’s gonna be times that we do fail and sometimes you’re gonna have success. But I always want to be up there. I don’t mind being up there and get all the boos or all the claps. I’m always ready for it.”
Verdugo, after the four-game sweep of the Astros which has powered New York’s American League-best, described his new teammates as a bunch of “dawgs”. To celebrate both of his home runs during the young season, Verdugo’s teammates have taken the compliment literally, barking loudly in the dugout like starved canines.
I know, I know…it’s only 16 games. It’s early.
But if the Yanks can keep this up, they will give everyone in the Bronx something to bark about…and that would be a good thing.
