Yankees have some relief about Gerrit Cole, but many questions remain

TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees received good news on the Gerrit Cole front on this point and only this point: As of now, his ailing right elbow does not need surgery.

But the portrayal by some that the Yankees’ organization somehow was “breathing a sigh of relief” or “exhaling” or any of the other Pollyanna phrases attributed to the club the last 24 to 48 hours could not have missed the mark more.

Yes, there is relief that surgery doesn’t appear to be in Cole’s immediate future.

That’s obvious.

But there still are behind-the-scenes concerns, significant ones, leading with the current lack of clarity regarding Cole’s condition.

“What if he can’t pick up a ball three weeks from now, a month from now?” one organizational insider said. “We still really don’t know exactly what the hell we’re dealing with.”

Added another: “Nobody’s happy. Everybody’s concerned. There’s still so much unknown.”

Cole, who had an MRI on the elbow Monday that showed some inflammation, traveled back to Tampa on Friday afternoon from Los Angeles, where he met on Thursday with orthopedic specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache for additional testing and evaluation.

Before Friday night’s game against the Pirates at Steinbrenner Field, a team spokesperson said the Yankees would not make any comments relating to Cole until they had a chance to talk with him upon his return. That discussion was to take place Friday night or, more likely, early Saturday morning.

So despite some of the public conjecture suggesting otherwise, what was known as the week drew to an end wasn’t much different from what was known at the start of the week.

The initial MRI taken Monday showed irritation in the elbow, and Cole soon headed west for his appointment with ElAttrache.

There still does not appear to be a tear, but the dueling reports of how long Cole could be out — one said one to two months, another said 10 to 12 weeks — reflected the lack of solid, factual information about the injury.

And there is a “well, obviously” aspect to the one-to-two-month timeframe for this reason:

Cole has made one spring training start — March 1 against the Blue Jays, when he threw 39 pitches. His last time on a mound was March 7, when he threw 47 pitches in a live batting practice session.

Cole isn’t likely to be cleared to start a throwing program by, to use an arbitrary date, Opening Day, which is March 28. But if he were, which the Yankees certainly would see as a best-case scenario, he would more or less be starting at square 1 of his buildup to be regular season- ready. That buildup is roughly six weeks, the reason spring training lasts that long. Or, put another way, one to two months.

But no one has dismissed the possibility that it could be more time, perhaps significantly more, than that.

After ruling out Cole for Opening Day earlier in the week, Aaron Boone on Friday officially announced Nestor Cortes as Cole’s replacement on March 28 against the Astros at Minute Maid Park. Carlos Rodon will pitch the second game, followed by Marcus Stroman and Clarke Schmidt, who allowed one run and five hits with five strikeouts in 3 1⁄3 innings Friday night in the Yankees’ 6-2 loss to Pittsburgh.

As for who will occupy the fifth spot, righties Clayton Beeter, Cody Poteet, Luis Gil, Will Warren and Luke Weaver are among the candidates. Warren, the club’s top pitching prospect, has had his moments in spring training (a 3.52 ERA with eight strikeouts and three walks in 7 2⁄3 innings). There are more than a few on the inside who believe the 24-year-old’s stuff is big league-ready and that the club should roll the dice with the prospect.

Those discussions, still in the early stages, will heat up next week.