Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole won't throw for 3-4 weeks due to elbow injury

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole won't throw for three to four weeks because of nerve irritation and edema in his throwing elbow.

"I think we've determined that we just got a little too hot a little too quick," Cole said before Saturday's game against Toronto. "I just got to a certain point where we just didn't hit baseline and recovery. That's important at this time of the year."

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said if the team needed a 40-man roster spot that Cole would be placed on the 60-day injured list, which means the earliest the American League Cy Young award winner could be back is late May. The right-hander will need a spring training-like period after he resumes throwing before rejoining the team.

"I feel really comfortable based on all the feedback and the experts that were involved in deciding to go [with] rest," Cashman said. "Best-case scenario we wouldn't be dealing with anything, right? But second-best case, right?

Cole said he's not scheduled for any PRP injections and will be doing plyometrics exercises to keep the elbow in shape, with an exact timetable for a return still pending.

The Yankees disclosed Monday that Cole was experiencing issues bouncing back following spring training starts.

The 33-year-old travelled to Los Angeles to be examined by Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache, an elbow expert.

"It's not a common experience for me," Cole said. "I haven't really dealt with anything like this before. So anytime you're going through something for the first time, there's a little bit of uncertainty, but I had a lot of faith. I felt good leaving the doctor, yeah."

2 spring training appearances

According to multiple reports earlier in the week, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner was scheduled to be back in action in an estimated 10-12 weeks.

Cole returned to Tampa on Friday.

Cole pitched just twice this spring, once in a Grapefruit League game on March 1 and then in a simulated game six days later. He subsequently was shut down and underwent initial tests that led to the visit to Los Angeles.

The UCLA product has been one of the majors leagues' most durable pitchers, making at least 30 starts in every season since 2017 except for the strike-shortened 2020 campaign.

Cole was a unanimous selection for the AL Cy Young last season after going 15-4 and leading the league in earned-run average (2.63) and WHIP (0.98) while making 33 starts for the Yankees. He struck out 222 batters in 209 innings.

The six-time all-star is 145-75 with a 3.17 ERA in 300 starts with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2013-17), Houston Astros (2018-19) and Yankees.

Since signing a nine-year, $324-million US deal with the Yankees in December 2019, Cole has added significant mileage to his arm, throwing 664 innings over 108 starts.

In his career, Cole has thrown 1,859 innings.