Yankees' Gerrit Cole Talks Injury, Says He's Dealing with Nerve Inflammation, Edema

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole said he is dealing with nerve inflammation and edema that will keep him from throwing for three to four weeks, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.

"Three to four weeks no throw, and we'll go from there," Cole said. "I think we determined that we just got a little too hot a little too quick this spring."

Hoch also reported Cole is not scheduled to receive any PRP injections and will "just rest and recover" while keeping his arm active through plyometric exercises. Cole said it's too soon to set a return date.

Cole, 33, racked up 222 strikeouts in 209 innings last season, notching a 2.63 ERA on his way to his first Cy Young Award.

Per Yahoo Sports' Jack Baer, Cole flew to California after experiencing discomfort in his elbow during spring training in Florida to meet with surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache. ElAttrache advised against Tommy John surgery and instead recommended Cole go through a rest-and-rehab routine.

This will be the first time Cole has been on the injured list for an arm setback since joining the Yankees in 2020 and the first time he's dealt with an elbow injury since 2016.

"It's not a common experience for me; I haven't really dealt with anything like this before," Cole said on Saturday, per Hoch. "Anytime you're going through something for the first time, there's a little bit of uncertainty, but I had a lot of faith."

Luckily for New York, its rotation should be able to hold strong until Cole can get back on the mound. Nestor Cortés Jr., Carlos Rodón, Marcus Stroman and Clarke Schmidt give the Yankees a solid rotation even without Cole.

New York is coming off an 82-80 season, its worst campaign since 1992. Offseason moves to add Stroman along with Juan Soto could be the answer for the Yankees' struggles as they look to have a bounce-back season.