Gerrit Cole Going For Imaging On Elbow
March 8: According to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, the results of Cole’s initial diagnostic tests have been distributed, and the right-hander is now in the process of seeking a second opinion. While Cole told reporters (including Hoch) that he is “concerned” about his elbow, the 2023 AL Cy Young winner also expressed a bit of optimism. “I’ve still got some hope,” he said. Per Hoch, Cole and the Yankees expect to know more about the status of his elbow in the next few days.
March 7: Gerrit Cole is heading for “diagnostic tests” on his throwing elbow, reports Jon Morosi of the MLB Network. It’s not currently clear whether the Yankees fear a significant injury, or if the testing is more precautionary in nature. In either case, it’s certainly not encouraging news after Cole missed the first couple months of 2024 with elbow inflammation.
It was almost exactly one year ago today that Yankees skipper Aaron Boone revealed that Cole was headed for an MRI. The 2023 Cy Young winner was having difficulty recovering between throwing sessions. Testing didn’t reveal any structural damage, but an inflammation diagnosis necessitated a month-long shutdown. Cole began the season on the 60-day injured list; he didn’t make his season debut until June 19.
Cole stayed healthy for the remainder of the season, aside from one skipped start due to what the team termed general body soreness. He turned in a 3.41 earned run average across 17 starts. While he struggled over his first few outings, Cole was dominant from the beginning of August through the end of the regular season. He turned in a 2.25 ERA with a 26% strikeout rate while holding opponents to a .182/.255/.248 slash line over his final 10 appearances.
The 34-year-old righty took the ball another five times in the postseason. He worked to a 2.17 ERA across 29 playoff innings, but his strikeout rate in October plummeted to a meager 17.7% clip. After the season, he and the Yankees were faced with a decision on his contract. Cole decided to opt out of the remaining four years and $144MM on his nine-year deal. He hoped the Yanks would override that by preemptively triggering a $36MM club option for 2029. The team declined to do so but allowed him to rescind the opt-out and remain with the team on his original contract.
Cole has taken the ball twice during Spring Training. He looked sharp in his first appearance, working 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts on February 28. The Twins torched him for six runs on five hits (including a pair of homers) over 2 2/3 frames yesterday. That alone isn’t cause for concern — Spring Training results are largely immaterial — but Cole evidently hasn’t felt completely healthy. His fastball has averaged 95.5 MPH during his spring work, according to Brooks Baseball. That’s around where it sat last March, a bit below the 97 MPH velocity he’d shown in previous Spring Trainings.
The Yankees won’t have much to report until they receive the imaging results. Even if there’s no structural damage, it seems likely Cole will begin the season on the injured list. The Yanks already lost 2024 Rookie of the Year Luis Gil to a severe lat strain. GM Brian Cashman said on Thursday that the Yankees anticipate an absence of at least three months for the young right-hander (relayed by Greg Joyce of The New York Post). Depth starter JT Brubaker broke three ribs trying to dodge a comebacker early in camp.
New York signed Max Fried to an eight-year, $218MM free agent deal. He’ll probably get the ball on Opening Day. Clarke Schmidt and Carlos Rodón will follow in the rotation. Marcus Stroman, who entered camp sixth on the depth chart, now projects as the fourth starter. A season-opening IL stint could draw Will Warren or out-of-options righty Yoendrys Gómez into the rotation. New York has Carlos Carrasco and Allan Winans in camp as non-roster invitees.
If Cole winds up missing a decent chunk of time, the Yanks could look to a late free agent acquisition. Veteran innings eater Kyle Gibson remains unsigned; he’s throwing side sessions to stay loose in advance of his age-37 season. Swingman Spencer Turnbull has a spotty injury history but pitched well in 54 1/3 innings for the Phillies last year. Patrick Corbin and former Yankee Lance Lynn are also still free agents.
In a smaller injury development, the Yanks announced this morning that reliever Tyler Matzek sustained a mild right oblique strain (link via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). The veteran southpaw could resume throwing early next week, but the injury takes him out of consideration for the Opening Day roster. Matzek is in camp as a non-roster invitee. He has tossed one scoreless inning.
MLBTR Podcast: Roki Sasaki, Cole’s Non-Opt-Out, And Cardinals Rumors
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- Roki Sasaki to be posted for MLB clubs (1:45)
- Gerrit Cole‘s weird non-opt-out situation with the Yankees (17:50)
- The Cardinals might trade Nolan Arenado but might keep Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray (24:20)
- The Braves and Angels swap Jorge Soler and Griffin Canning (33:05)
- The Dodgers are moving Mookie Betts back to the infield (41:50)
Check out our past episodes!
- Breaking Down The Top 50 Free Agents List – listen here
- The Mets’ Spending Power, Juan Soto Suitors, And The Rangers’ Payroll Limits – listen here
- The World Series, The White Sox Reportedly For Sale, And Tropicana Field – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Gerrit Cole To Return To Yankees
Right-hander Gerrit Cole will return to the Yankees, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post on X. Going into 2020, Cole and the Yankees signed a nine-year deal with a $36MM salary in each season, a $324MM guarantee. That deal gave Cole the ability to opt out after 2024, but the Yankees could negate that opt-out by adding yet another $36MM season for 2029. He did indeed trigger that opt-out a few days ago, forcing the Yankees to decide whether or not they wanted to add the extra year. Essentially, they would be deciding between letting Cole become a free agent versus keeping him around for five years and $180MM. Per Jeff Passan of ESPN on X, Cole will remain with the four guaranteed years and $144MM as though he did not trigger his opt-out, but extension conversations will continue.
For the first four years of the deal, Cole continued to perform at an ace level and it seemed like a slam dunk that he would trigger that opt-out but the Yanks would add the final year and keep him around. That was the general consensus one year ago when Cole won the 2023 American League Cy Young award after posting a 2.63 ERA in 209 innings over 33 starts.
But one year later, much has changed, which made the respective decisions more interesting. Cole was shut down during spring training this year with some elbow inflammation. No structural damage was found but his non-surgical rehab kept him on the shelf until June. He returned and posted strong results, but not quite as good as before the injury.
He eventually made 17 starts on the year with a 3.41 ERA. There might have been a bit of rust after the injury layoff, as he had a 6.75 ERA in his first four outings but a 2.67 in the final 13. He then posted a 2.17 ERA over his five postseason starts.
That injury-shortened season made is somewhat debatable as to whether Cole should walk away from the four years and $144MM left on his deal but he ultimately felt confident in doing so, forcing the Yankees into making a call.
Cole has been their ace but there were at least some arguments for them letting him go. Generally speaking, a free agent deal provides the best return on investment at the beginning, while the later years tend to be more painful. Getting a chance to walk away before it starts to hurt is going to have some appeal to a team, especially one that wants powder dry to bring back Juan Soto.
Beyond that, Cole’s strikeout rate declined this year, perhaps due to the injury but it was the fourth straight year of that trend. He punched out 33.5% of batters faced in 2021, 32.4% in 2022, just 27% in his Cy Young year and 25.4% this year. Each of his pitches in 2024 was about one mile per hour below their ’23 levels, per Statcast. Though his playoff results were good as the Yanks charged to the World Series, he actually only struck out 17.7% of batters faced.
Without Cole, the Yankees would have been going into the winter with a rotation of Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes, Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil and Marcus Stroman, with Will Warren and other prospects around as depth. They could have used the extra $36MM of payroll capacity to pursue Soto while also considering reuniting with Cole or perhaps going after younger free agent starters like Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, Jack Flaherty or Max Fried.
It seems as though the two sides may have discussed some alternate arrangements but wanted more time to hammer them out, so Cole has essentially agreed to rescind his opt-out decision. He will stay on the Yankee roster at the same terms of his previous deal, perhaps allowing him and the Yankees to work out some new deal without the ticking clock of today’s deadline for decisions on options and opt-outs.
At this point, it’s unclear if the two sides expect to work out a new deal shortly or well into the offseason. If the latter is the case, then the club will pivot towards it’s other offseason priorities, headlined by the desire to get Soto back into the fold.
The main takeaway here is that Cole will be staying in pinstripes, with the contractual stuff to be worked out another day. With him back in the rotation, now perhaps the Yankees will consider further moves to augment their rotation. They reportedly had interest in Snell last winter and could circle back to him this offseason. They almost traded for Flaherty at the deadline and might pursue him as a free agent. There were some trade rumors surrounding Cortes this year, so perhaps those could pop up again in the coming months. Stroman got bumped to the bullpen late in the year and might make more sense on the trading block, allowing the Yankees to free up some payroll for other pursuits.
Gerrit Cole Triggers Opt-Out In Deal With Yankees
TODAY: The Yankees’ deadline to decide on Cole is 4pm CT on Monday, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (X link). The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported earlier today that the deadline was on Monday, rather than tonight.
NOVEMBER 2: Right-hander Gerrit Cole has triggered the opt-out in his deal with the Yankees, per Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN on X. However, he is not yet a free agent, as the club has a chance to void the opt-out by tacking on an extra year at the same $36MM salary as the rest of the contract.
Cole’s original deal with the Yanks was for $324MM over nine years with even salaries of $36MM in each season, starting in 2020. Per that deal, he could opt out after five years, walking away from the final four years and $144MM. The Yanks could then tack on another $36MM for 2029 and negate the opt-out. Now that Cole has triggered his opt-out, the Yankees now have to effectively decide if they want Cole back for $180MM over the next five years. If not, Cole will return to free agency.
For the first few years of the contract, Cole continued to pitch to his usual excellent standards. From 2020 through 2023, he tossed 664 innings, allowing 3.08 earned runs per nine. He struck out 31.1% of batters faced, limited walks to a 5.9% clip and got grounders at a 41.1% clip. He racked up 15.4 wins above replacement in that time, per the calculations of FanGraphs, fifth in the majors behind Zack Wheeler, Corbin Burnes, Kevin Gausman and Aaron Nola. He won the American League Cy Young last year by posting a 2.63 ERA over 209 innings.
Throughout that time, it seemed quite obvious how the contract situation would play out. Cole would make the no-brainer decision to trigger his opt-out while the Yanks would make the equally-easy decision to add on the extra year, bringing their total commitment to $360MM over 10 years.
But the road ahead became a little less certain as things developed in 2024. Cole dealt with some elbow inflammation during spring training and was shut down for a while. No structural damage was found but he was sent to the 60-day injured list as he underwent his non-surgical rehab. He was eventually able to get back on the mound, making his season debut in the middle of June.
He was a little shaky at first, with a 6.75 ERA through his first four starts, but his numbers were far more Cole-like from there. He posted a 2.67 ERA in his final 13 starts of the year. His 25.7% strikeout rate wasn’t quite all the way back to his usual level but his 6.8% walk rate was still quite strong. He made another five postseason starts with a 2.17 ERA, helping the Yanks reach their first World Series since 2009.
While Cole has seemed like his old self for months, the Yanks may still have to think about this one. As seen in MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, the largest deal for a pitcher aged 34 or older was the five years and $185MM that the Rangers gave to Jacob deGrom. That deal hasn’t gone well so far, as deGrom required Tommy John surgery and hardly pitched for the Rangers in the first two years of that pact. The Yankees would have to essentially match that deal to prevent Cole from getting away. As mentioned, tacking on the extra year would mean committing to paying Cole $180MM over the next five years, just shy of the deGrom deal.
Cole’s record of durability is far better than deGrom’s. Cole has thrown almost 2,000 innings to this point in his career while deGrom was just over 1300 when he signed with Texas. Still, Cole is just recovered from a notable absence related to his throwing elbow. Most of the other pitchers in this age bracket signed shorter deals with higher average annual values, with Wheeler’s recent extension with the Phillies coming in at $126MM over three years. Max Scherzer‘s deal with the Mets was $130MM over three, though he was a few years older, starting that deal at age-37.
The Yankees are facing the prospect of Juan Soto hitting free agency and Cole is potentially a second superstar departure. Some have argued that the Soto situation should motivate the Yanks to keep Cole, just to stave of that possibility of losing two stars on the heels of a frustrating World Series loss. On the other hand, some have suggested that the Yanks might welcome having an extra $36MM of payroll space to use on luring Soto back to the Bronx.
The latter line of thinking would leave a big hole in the rotation, but it wouldn’t be an awful group without Cole. The projected rotation would still include Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman. If the Yanks let Cole go, they could focus on Soto and circle back to him later or pursue some other starting pitchers. They had reported interest in Blake Snell last winter and he is opting out of his deal, becoming a free agent again. The market will also feature Burnes, Jack Flaherty, Max Fried and plenty of others. Garrett Crochet, Erick Fedde and dozens of other could be available in trade.
It’s one of the more interesting decisions of the offseason. Most free agent contracts bring back the best returns in the early years and get more painful as the deals go along. The Yankees have a chance to walk away after the best years and perhaps avoid the downside. But doing so would mean letting one of the best pitchers in the league slip through their fingers. They have until Sunday evening to decide, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today on X.
World Series Notes: Rodon, Flaherty, Cole, Phillips
While the big news from last night’s World Series game was the shoulder injury suffered by Shohei Ohtani, he wasn’t the only player dealing with an ailment during yesterday’s game. As noted by SNY’s Andy Martino last night, Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon was pitching through a blister on one of his fingers during his start last night, which saw him surrender four runs on six hits as he struck out three in 3 1/3 innings of work.
Blister issues can cause problems with a pitcher’s grip on certain pitches. In the regular season, it’s not uncommon for a pitcher dealing with a blister to be sidelined for a short trip to the injured list until a blister fades and they can resume pitching unimpeded, but Rodon downplayed the seriousness of the issue to Martino last night as he suggested the blister was “not a big deal” and that it won’t impact his availability going forward in the World Series as the Yankees look to fight their way back from an 0-2 deficit. Rodon went on to note that he’s dealt with blister problems before in his career, though this is the first time he’s had one this year.
Overall, Rodon’s sophomore season with the Yankees has been a bit of a mixed bag. The southpaw posted a decent 3.96 ERA (104 ERA+) and struck out 26.5% of opponents while making 32 starts, but he also surrendered a career-high 31 homers and has struggled to this point in the postseason. In 17 2/3 innings of work across four postseason starts, Rodon has struggled to a 5.60 ERA overall, albeit with two strong performances against Cleveland in the ALCS that saw him strike out 15 of the 41 batters he faced. Fans in New York are surely hoping that they’ll get that version of Rodon in Game 6 if the series if the series makes it back to Los Angeles, though for now the team will have to focus on breaking through for their first win of the series.
More notes from the postseason…
- Rodon isnt the only starter who’s been dealing with a day-to-day injury in this series, as Dodgers right-hander Jack Flaherty dealt with some hamstring tightness during his start in Game 1 of the World Series, according to manager Dave Roberts. As relayed by the Los Angeles Times’s Mike DiGiovanna, Roberts does not believe the issue to be a serious one. That’s good news for the Dodgers, as the club’s injury-plagued rotation would have few options to replace Flaherty if he were to go down. The right-hander struggled through the division series against the Padres and the championship series against the Mets but looked quite good in his start against the Yankees as he struck out six in 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball. Flaherty is next expected to take the ball in a potential Game 5 on Wednesday, following tomorrow’s start by Walker Buehler and a bullpen game on Tuesday.
- Flaherty’s opponent in the series is expected to be Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, and Martino reports that the Yankees currently intend to keep it that way as the club “has not considered” the possibility of starting Cole on short rest in Game 4 of the series if the Yankees are facing elimination. While Martino adds the possibility cannot be completely ruled out, it would be a major departure from the way Cole has been utilized throughout his career. The 34-year-old righty has pitched on short rest only once before in his career, during the 2020 ALDS against the Rays, and while he was effective in that start the Yankees may be less willing to risk his health now that Cole half a decade older and wrapping up a season that saw him miss half the year due to elbow troubles.
- Turning back to the Dodgers, right-hander Evan Phillips was left off the club’s World Series roster amid a number of nagging ailments including arm fatigue as well as tightness in his lat, triceps, and biceps. Phillips discussed his situation with DiGiovanna in more detail yesterday, noting that an MRI revealed nerve irritation in his right shoulder. Phillips described the issue as “nothing majorly concerning,” however, and suggested that the decision to leave him off the roster primarily had to do with the fact that the Dodgers wouldn’t be allowed to replace him if he were to more seriously injure himself since he was already injured before the series began. Phillips hasn’t ruled out the possibility he could be added to the roster if another pitcher is injured, though Roberts has previously suggested veteran righty Joe Kelly might be first in line as an injury replacement.
Will Gerrit Cole Get To Free Agency?
For most of the season, it has seemed quite unlikely that Gerrit Cole would be part of next year's free agent class. The defending AL Cy Young winner has an opt-out clause after this season, but the deal is structured in such a way that makes it difficult for him to get to the market.
This is year five of his nine-year, $324MM free agent pact. Cole's dominant first four seasons in the Bronx have already established him as one of the best top-of-the-market signings in recent history. The deal allows Cole to opt out of the remaining four years and $144MM after this season. The Yankees could then void the opt-out by triggering a $36MM club option covering the 2029 campaign. In the aftermath of Cole's first Cy Young, it was fair to presume the right-hander would opt out, only for New York to exercise the '29 option. Cole's agent Scott Boras suggested as much last December. That's no longer a lock.
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Yankees Scratch Gerrit Cole With Body Fatigue, To Select Will Warren
The Yankees scratched Gerrit Cole from tonight’s scheduled start against the Phillies due to general body fatigue. Well-regarded pitching prospect Will Warren is getting the call for a spot start in what’ll be his major league debut. The Yankees will need to select him onto the 40-man roster, which has two vacancies pending their deadline activity.
There’s no indication this is anything more than a day-to-day issue. Yet it’s at least worth monitoring after Cole missed the first half of the season with elbow inflammation. Cole has made seven starts since being reinstated in the middle of June. He owns an uncharacteristic 5.40 ERA thanks largely to nine home runs allowed.
If the Yankees are at all concerned about Cole’s health, it could impact their approach to the deadline over the next two hours. They’ve already been tied to starting pitchers, including to Jack Flaherty at the top of the market. There are rumblings the Yanks could even add an impact starter like Flaherty and look to flip Nestor Cortes.
Warren, 25, is a former eighth-round pick who has developed into one of New York’s top prospects. He ranks seventh among Yankees farmhands at Baseball America. Warren’s arsenal is headlined by his mid-90s fastball and potential plus slider. He has a shot to be a mid-rotation starter. The Southeastern Louisiana product has started 20 times in Scranton. His 6.11 earned run average is disappointing, but Warren has an impressive 27.1% strikeout rate against a manageable 8.2% walk percentage.
Yankees Transfer Anthony Rizzo To 60-Day Injured List
The Yankees announced that right-hander Gerrit Cole has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list, a move that was reported earlier this week. To open a roster spot for him, first baseman Anthony Rizzo has been transferred onto the 60-day IL.
Rizzo was injured earlier this week when attempting to run out a ground ball. First baseman Dominic Smith fielded the grounder and flipped to pitcher Brennan Bernardino as he covered first base. Rizzo and Bernardino bumped into each other, which resulted in Rizzo falling to the ground and landing awkwardly. Video link of the play from MLB.com.
It was later reported that Rizzo was diagnosed with a fractured radial neck in his right arm. The club announced that Rizzo could be back in about eight weeks, as relayed by Brendan Kuty of The Athletic on X. That eight-week timeline and the 60-day stint on the injured list are roughly equivalent, so it’s not surprising that the Yankees decided to make this transfer.
Rizzo will now be ineligible to be reinstated until the middle of August, which will be interesting timing. The trade deadline is on July 30 this year, so the Yankees will have to make some decisions about what moves to make to address their lineup while Rizzo is still away from the club. A decent chunk of their hitters are performing well but Rizzo was struggling prior to his injury.
In his absence, DJ LeMahieu and Ben Rice seem likely to share the first base duties, but LeMahieu is also having a poor season and Rice just made his major league debut yesterday. Players like Oswaldo Cabrera and Gleyber Torres have also been struggling, leaving the club with a fairly weak infield group around shortstop Anthony Volpe.
The Yankees have the best record in the majors at 51-24, so they can use the next few weeks to assess these players and decide on their deadline plan. Rizzo himself came to the Yankees in a 2021 deadline deal while Luke Voit was on the injured list.
Rizzo and the Yankees reunited on a free agent deal going into 2022, a two-year deal with an opt-out. He triggered that opt-out but re-signed with the Yanks again going into 2023, this time on a two-year, $40MM deal. Rizzo made $17MM last year and is doing so again this year, with a $6MM buyout on a $17MM club option for 2025, making it a net $11MM decision.
Prior to landing on the injured list, Rizzo was hitting just .223/.289/.341 for the year and won’t have much time to improve those numbers with this injury. His rehab progress and the performance of Rice will be interesting situations to watch in the months to come, as the club will have some decisions to make at the deadline and at the end of the season as well.
Yankees To Reinstate Gerrit Cole On Wednesday
The Yankees are getting their ace back. Right-hander Gerrit Cole is going to be reinstated from the injured list on Wednesday, per manager Aaron Boone, relayed by Talkin’ Yanks on X.
The Yanks and their fans got a big scare back in the spring when Cole was shut down with his throwing elbow having difficulty recovering between starts and throwing sessions. That naturally led to concerns that he would require some sort of surgery and miss the entire season on the heels of winning the American League Cy Young in 2023.
Thankfully, those worst-case scenarios have not come to pass. Cole was recommended for non-surgical rehab and has been slowly working his way through that process over the past few months. He was able to begin a rehab assignment at the start of this month, making three starts in the minor leagues over the past few weeks. His most recent outing was in Triple-A on Friday, during which he tossed 70 pitches over 4 1/3 shutout innings with ten strikeouts.
Despite not having Cole all year, the Yanks have been dominating. Their rotation has a 2.90 earned run average, the best in the majors. In Cole’s absence, Carlos Rodón, Nestor Cortes, Marcus Stroman and Luis Gil have all engineered fantastic bounceback seasons after they each were injured and/or struggling in 2023. Cortes had the highest ERA of those four at 3.59. Clarke Schmidt was also a big part of the rotation success until recently. He has a 2.52 ERA on the year but has been on the IL for about three weeks with a lat strain. Cody Poteet has stepped up to make four good starts in Schmidt’s absence but is now likely to get optioned or sent to the bullpen with Cole’s return.
Cole is one of the best pitchers in the league and, as mentioned, won the Cy last year. He took the ball 33 times in 2023 and tossed 209 innings with a 2.63 ERA, 27% strikeout rate and 5.8% walk rate. Even if he has a bit of post-injury rust and can’t quite get back to that elite peak, he will still strengthen and lengthen a team that has the best record in the league.
The Yankees are 50-24 and have the best winning percentage in the majors, though they are in a tough divisional battle. The Orioles are tied with the Phillies for the second-best record in baseball behind the Yanks, meaning there’s a small gap of 1.5 games between the top two teams in the American League East.
Getting Cole back could also impact how the Yankees assemble their rotation going forward. Gil pitched less than 30 innings over 2022 and 2023 due to Tommy John surgery and may need to face workload limitations at some point, perhaps when Schmidt is back in the picture.
The other long-term factor is Cole’s contract. He will have four years and $144MM left on his deal at the end of this season when he can decide to trigger an opt-out. If he does so, the club can void that opt-out by triggering a $36MM club option for 2029. Before this injury, the industry expectation was that he would trigger his opt-out and the Yanks would void it by triggering the option, though those decision are now at least somewhat up in the air due to his absence. His performance in the coming months will gradually shed more light on the likely outcome of that scenario.
AL East Notes: Casas, Cole, Bichette
The Red Sox got some good news regarding the status of first baseman Triston Casas yesterday. As he told Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe, Casas has begun taking dry swings as he works his way back from torn cartilage in his midsection. Casas indicated that if he continues feeling good after a few days of dry swings, he’ll begin making contact with a ball. McWilliams added that Casas hopes to be back in the Red Sox lineup in time for a series against the Marlins that begins on July 2.
If Casas is truly just two weeks away from a return to the majors, that would be a huge relief for a Red Sox lineup that has sorely missed his presence. While the club’s overall production since he last played on April 20 is still strong, with a 107 wRC+ that ranks eighth in the majors over that time, their wRC+ at first base has sat at just 98, below average overall and well below the production of an average first baseman. Of course, Casas is a great deal better than the average first baseman; the 24-year-old’s 160 wRC+ since the All Star break last year is the 11th-best figure in the majors over that timeframe and second only to Freddie Freeman among first basemen.
As noted by McWilliams, it’s far from guaranteed that Casas will be able to reach his target date for a return, even as he’s begun swinging a bat and running the bases. McWilliams relays that manager Alex Cora was more cautious in his comments regarding Casas’s timeline, noting that while “hopefully” Casas is back during the Miami series, the club also intends to be “smart” regarding his rehab and not rush him back before he’s ready. In the meantime, the Red Sox figure to rely on a combination of Dominic Smith and Bobby Dalbec at first base.
More from around the AL East…
- Yankees ace Gerrit Cole made his third rehab start on Friday, striking out ten batters in 4 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level. While neither Cole nor manager Aaron Boone would commit to Cole’s next start for the club coming in the majors in conversation with reporters yesterday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post noted that he felt good both immediately after the outing and the next day and that his return to the big leagues will come “soon.” A quick return to the mound for Cole would be fantastic news for the Yankees, as the 2023 AL Cy Young award winner would surely bolster an already-excellent rotation that sports the league’s best ERA entering play today.
- Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette has been out of the lineup for the past two games due to what manager John Schneider described to reporters (including MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson) as soreness in his right calf. It’s been a tough season at the plate for Bichette, who is hitting an uncharacteristically poor .237/.286/.342 in 276 trips to the plate with Toronto this year. Isiah Kiner-Falefa has handled shortstop in Bichette’s absence, and both Ernie Clement and Addison Barger have past experience at the position if further depth options are needed. Infielders Orelvis Martinez and Leo Jimenez are both on the 40-man roster and could step into the big leagues in the event that Bichette eventually requires a trip to the injured list.