When Gerrit Cole’s elbow started acting up last spring, he ventured to Los Angeles for a visit with Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
History repeated itself on Monday, as Aaron Boone told the YES Network that Cole is in Los Angeles for another consultation with the famed surgeon. The trip follows a Sunday night report from The Athletic’s Jim Bowden that said Tommy John surgery has already been recommended for Cole.
“Just getting all the eyes on it and everyone to weigh in,” Boone said as the Yankees hosted an exhibition game against the Tigers. “We’ll make the best decision from there.
“If he does have to go get surgery, hopefully that’s something that serves us well in the long haul instead of if he’s compromised at all or in a tough situation. The reality is Gerrit still has a lot of pitching in front of him in his career.”
Boone added that Cole’s injury is “not a death sentence” for the Yankees, though Tommy John surgery would mean the end of Cole’s season and a Cy Young-sized hole in the rotation.
Cole, who began feeling soreness after starting against the Twins last Thursday, went through a similar sequence of events last spring, feeling his elbow bark and undergoing initial testing before meeting up with ElAttrache. Last year’s injury only turned out to be elbow inflammation and edema, and Cole made his season debut in mid-June following a period of rest, though he didn’t also look like his elite self after returning.
This time around, fears seem heightened. On Sunday, Brian Cashman told Newsday’s David Lennon that he is “prepared for the worst” with Cole, but they were waiting on the opinions of others, such as ElAttrache. Cole said that he was “concerned” on Saturday with initial imaging already distributed, though he was “hoping for the best.”