PHILADELPHIA — The New York Yankees scratched Gerrit Cole from his Tuesday start because of body fatigue. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Cole has dealt with a stomach bug for the past few days, and the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner said he “just didn’t recover well this week.”
Cole, who missed the first two-plus months of the season with elbow inflammation, said his recovery problem this week is unrelated to his elbow. He’s been able to throw bullpens and expects to throw off a mound on Wednesday ahead of pitching this weekend. He made it clear that his arm feels fine, but he does feel like his body is worn down.
“I’m still six starts into this season for me,” Cole said. “Everyone else is in the middle of it all. I feel different than other people. Maybe we all go through this at the beginning of the season or other different parts of the season but we don’t always have an opportunity to just push it back and just get a few extra days. You see guys try to get through stuff and have success and see some guys where it doesn’t really go well and it’s like, if there’s an opportunity, why didn’t we take advantage of it? It’s just about putting a little bit more gas in the tank and being in a good position to take the ball next time.”
In Cole’s place, the Yankees are starting Will Warren, who’s making his major-league debut. Warren was a candidate to make the Yankees out of spring training as the team’s fifth starter, but Luis Gil won the competition over him. Warren hasn’t excelled this season for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, pitching to a 6.11 ERA in 95 2/3 innings. Part of Warren’s problem this year has been his struggles against left-handed hitters. Lefties have hit 11 home runs with an .870 OPS against Warren in 209 plate appearances.
Will Warren. 8 K’s, 6 innings.
After another quality start, the @Yankees‘ No. 7 prospect has 115 punchouts over 92 2/3 innings for the Triple-A @swbrailriders: pic.twitter.com/oSxO1trjWw
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 26, 2024
“He was throwing a lot of sinkers to lefties and kind of getting slugged, so I think it’s trying to find the right lefty attack plan for the most part,” Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said last month. “It seems like he’s kind of righted the ship a little bit as of late. I think the biggest thing is just always gonna be the right-left balance for a guy that’s sinker-slider heavy.”
In Warren’s first 10 starts, he threw his sinker 40.4 percent of the time to left-handed hitters. In his past 10 starts, Warren has dropped his sinker usage to 28.9 percent of the time and has seen better results. The Phillies’ lineup features some of the best left-handed hitters in the sport, notably Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. It will be a test for Warren to see if his recent change has paid off.
“He’s a confident kid,” Boone said. “We love his makeup. We love his stuff. He’s had some bumps in the road this year but has also dominated a lot of outings, too. He has all the equipment to go out there and be successful. He’s not a guy who’s overwhelmed. He’s got a really good presence to him.”
(Photo: Brad Penner / USA Today)
