Randy Orton loves to say, “The 3 most dangerous letters in sports entertainment are RKO.”  Well, the 3 scariest letters in all of baseball are MRI.  Especially when they come out of nowhere.  And the Yankees are learning this the hard way.  

First, Aaron Judge had an MRI on his abs yesterday (monday) after taking only two at bats in the game on Sunday and being the only regular to not play in the split squard games on monday.  They have not been specific about the injury, but he did say the MRI showed no structural damage.  Judge has said he will not swing a bat until later in the week and that there is no need to push things.  He also said his plan is to play opening day.  Obviously, any injury to Judge is terrible news and will have a huge impact on the Yankees season.  Should we be worried?  Absolutely.  An ab injury isn’t something that usually just goes away and can be something he has to deal with all year.  Even if he is healthy enough to play, it could be the type of injury that limits his ability to hit the way we are used to Judge hitting.  He is downplaying the injury now, but the way he and the Yankees down played it to begin with has me worried that it is worse than they are letting on.  Hopefully they stick to their word and don’t rush him back in any way.  Any Yankee fan will be very happy to have him miss opening day if it meant he will not have to deal with a lingering injury all season (besides his toe, of course) or worse, have it develop into something that forces him to miss a big chunk of the season.

Sadly, that is the good injury news from Yankee camp.  Yesterday, the Yankees announced that reigning American League Cy Young award winner Gerrit Cole was having an MRI on his throwing elbow.  Just typing that makes me want to puke.  Today, Boone said there was nothing difinitive yet and that it could be days before we know anything.  To me, this actually sounds like good news.  If he had a torn UCL, it would be obvious in the MRI.  At least it usually is. 

It goes without saying, so I’ll type it. Losing Cole would be a death knell for the Yankees’ season.  As important as Judge is, now that they have Soto, his loss would basically put the Yankees back to where they were last season.  Plus they have outfielders who can be productive in Judges’ absence.  Not to mention the impending return of the Martian.  However, with Cole, they have nothing that even resembles a replacement.  How could they, he’s arguably the best pitcher in baseball.  The problem is without him, they do not have an ace.  No one else in their rotation qualifies as an ace, and what are the odds one of the kids will become one this season?  Basically, if he needs to miss the season, they are screwed. 

As far as replacements for the rotation go, they have a few in-house options in Clayton Beeter, Luis Gil, and Will Warren.  If it is long-term, I would want them to go either Beeter or Warren, both of whom have pitched well this spring.  I think Gil is best used in small doses. 

If it is a dreaded season ender for Cole and they want to look outside the organization to try and save the season, possibly, if not most likely, their only one with Soto, there are obvious options.  Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery.  However, now is not the time to sign either of them.  For two reasons.  One, they are long term comitments, not one year fill ins.  If the Yankees are willing to make a long-term commitment to one of them now, they should have been willing last week or last month. 

The second reason is that this is exactly what their agent Scott Boras has been waiting for, and well, screw him.  Don’t give him the satisfaction of being right.  If he wants to play hard ball with his clients, then he and his clients should have to suffer the consequences.  Plus, I still don’t like Snell in a long-term deal. 

The answer, aside from some sort of trade, is Trevor Bauer.  All of his legal problems seem to have been cleared up, and he is eligible to return to baseball.  He is willing to play for the league minimum as he is just looking for a chance to prove he can still pitch in the majors.  There is no reason to think he can’t.  He would be cheap and temporary.  Or the Yankees could try to sign him to a contract with an option for next season but I would think, unless a team gives him a real contract, he is going to want a one year deal so he can cash in next offseason. 

This is exactly what the Yankees will need if Cole is going to miss the season.  Is there going to be a PR issue at first?  Probably. But if he can be the ace they need him to be, it will be worth it.  If a guy is eligible to play, there is no reason not to have him on your team.  

Hopefully this will all be moot and Judge and Cole will be good to go for most of the season.  Losing the two best players on the team would just kill the season and take all the excitement out of the summer.