Yankees' Gerrit Cole Placed on 60-Day IL amid Elbow Injury Rehab

New York Yankees fans will not get to see ace Gerrit Cole pitch in the near future.

The Yankees placed the right-hander on the 60-day injured list ahead of Thursday's season-opener against the Houston Astros, per ESPN. Cole, who is dealing with elbow inflammation, told reporters he had no plans to throw for three to four weeks back on March 16 with the hope the rest would help his elbow recover.

It wasn't the team's only move, as New York also placed pitchers Tommy Kahnle (shoulder) and McKinley Moore (knee) on the 15-day injured list and infielders DJ LeMahieu (foot) and Oswald Peraza (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Monday.

But Cole, who pitched in just one Spring Training game and a simulated game before he was shut down, is the biggest concern.

He is one of the best pitchers in the entire league and coming off a Cy Young season that saw him post a 2.63 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 222 strikeouts in 209 innings. The ERA, WHIP and strikeout numbers were all the best in the American League, which made him an obvious Cy Young selection.

Cole is also known for his durability and led the AL with 33 starts in 2023.

It was the second straight year he led the league in starts and the seventh time in his career he made at least 30 starts. He has reached that 30-start number in six straight seasons not counting the shortened 2020 one.

Yet that streak will surely come to an end for Cole this season given this setback, which puts additional pressure on the Yankees' other starters.

Nestor Cortés Jr will start Thursday's opener, although he made just 12 starts last season. Carlos Rodón (14 starts) and Marcus Stroman also dealt with some durability concerns last season, with the latter's coming when he was a member of the Chicago Cubs.

If those pieces stay healthy, the Yankees may have enough in the starting rotation to tread water until Cole is ready to return. But they will likely need their ace back and healthy for the majority of the season if they are going to make a playoff run in the difficult American League East.