Since Monday, New York Yankees fans have been praying to whatever higher power they believe in.
That was the day in which it was reported that Gerrit Cole would need an MRI on his right elbow because he was having a hard time recovering between starts.
On Wednesday, the team reported that he would miss 1-2 months to rest and heal, but that doctors recommended a noted surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, to take a live look at Cole.
Cole traveled to LA to meet the specialist, and on Thursday, there was good news to report.
“Dr. Neal ElAttrache has agreed with Yankees team doctors that there is not a tear in Gerrit Cole’s UCL and that he will not need surgery, per @JonHeyman. The timeline for his return is still 1-2 months,” Talkin’ Yanks tweeted.
The entire city (well, a sizable percentage of it) can breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Fans weren’t shy to voice their opinion on the situation on Twitter.
Most of them posted “we are back” messages with funny or inspirational videos:
WE HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE BACK pic.twitter.com/uEFpFzIpVg
— Nick Lombardi 💻✍ (@NickLombardiSK) March 15, 2024
START SPREADING THE NEWS
— ₣Ʉ₮ɄⱤɆ🇵🇷🇩🇴 (@yanks2077) March 15, 2024
Oh thank you!!!! pic.twitter.com/dRarOXCiIA
— Jo (@JoJoFromJerz) March 15, 2024
People are celebrating because the news could have been much, much worse.
Still, some people fear he won’t be the same upon returning:
Will miss at least 1:2 the year and then not be the same.
— BMc (@Bernman328) March 15, 2024
There was a collective fear that his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) was damaged, in which case he could have needed Tommy John surgery.
There were so many things that elbow could have had: a flexor strain, bone spurs, a torn UCL, and several more.
But there is only inflammation, which should come down in the next few days.
Given the potential scenarios, the Yankees dodged a bullet here.
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