TAMPA, Fla — New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole traveled to Los Angeles on Wednesday to see specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache for additional tests on his right elbow.
Yankees Manager Aaron Boone said he has no timetable for how long Cole will be sidelined.
“I understand it’s Gerrit Cole and it’s a big story, but I’m not going to jump to a conclusion or speculate,” Boone said after Wednesday’s 9-4 loss to Boston. “We’re still in the gathering of information, and then everyone’s got to weigh in to determine what exactly we have.”
Multiple reports had Cole missing at least 1 to 2 months.
ElAttrache is the Los Angeles Dodgers’ head team physician and is an expert on elbows.
Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, has made at least 30 starts in each of the last six full regular seasons. He had an MRI on Monday and X-rays and a CT scan on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old Cole had been throwing fewer pitches in spring training starts than other rotation members.
“I’ve lived this game all my life,” Boone said. “So you try, as much as it sounds crazy, not to get ahead of yourself too much with things especially when you don’t know things. Obviously, you’ve got to be ready to bounce, ready to pivot and as I would like to say stay in the athletic position all the time so that you’re nimble and able to adjust as things come in. But I also try not to get ahead of myself until I know what we’re dealing with.”
Boone said Carlos Rodón, who allowed one run over four innings against the Red Sox, remains scheduled to start the second game of the season at Houston. Boone said discussions are ongoing on who will replace Cole in the March 28 opener, Marcus Stroman is a top candidate.
Cole is entering the fifth season of a $324 million, nine-year contract that pays $36 million annually. He has the right to opt out after the season and become a free agent, but if he opts out the Yankees can void the opt out by adding a guaranteed $36 million salary for 2029.
• Center fielder Aaron Judge, who had an MRI of his abdomen on Monday, is expected to play again on Saturday.
Judge started feeling discomfort with his abdomen during his swing’s follow-through about a little over a week ago and the 31-year-old has not taken on-field batting practice the past few days. He last played Sunday, striking out in both at-bats, and said he expects to resume swinging a bat this week.
He got treatment and did inside work on Wednesday.
ORIOLES: AL Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson and catcher Adley Rutschman had their contracts renewed without an agreement for the second straight season.
They’re among 12 players across the major leagues whose salaries were set by teams.
Henderson will make $756,200 while in the major leagues this season and $361,600 in the unlikely event he is optioned to the minors. A unanimous pick for AL Rookie of the Year, the infielder hit .255 with 28 homers, 82 RBI and 10 stolen bases last year.
Henderson had a $723,200 salary last year and earned $1,428,001 from the pre-arbitration bonus pool, established in the 2022 labor contract.
Rutschman will get $760,300 while in the major leagues and $366,950 while in the minors after batting .277 with 20 homers and 80 RBI. A first-time All-Star, Rutschman earned $733,900 last year plus $1,798,439 in the bonus pool.
OBIT: Bill Plummer, a reliable catcher who spent seven seasons backing up Johnny Bench during the Big Red Machine era and later served as a coach and manager in the majors and minors, has died. He was 76.
Plummer died Tuesday after suffering a heart attack last Thursday at home in Redding, California, according to family social media posts.
Plummer appeared in 324 games for the Reds between 1970 and 1977, including the teams that won back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and ’76.
“Loved Bill for the person he was and the competitor he showed us on the field. He was always ready to play,” Bench said in a post Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Plummer played briefly with the Chicago Cubs in 1969 before being traded to the Reds. He was a solid defensive catcher but had a lifetime batting average of .188 with 14 career homers — two of them in the same game off future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton in 1974.
Plummer played for Seattle in 1978 and later coached and managed in the Mariners’ organization. He was named manager for 1992 but was fired after one unsuccessful season. He was also a coach and manager in the minor leagues and independent leagues.
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