Yankees ace Gerrit Cole has no soreness and no issues after exiting start with cramping in calf

AP Baseball Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole can’t really explain what caused the cramping in his right calf that forced him out of his last start, but the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner said Tuesday that there was no soreness and no issues.

“I really don’t have a great answer for it, but it feels good today,” Cole said.

Before his last warmup pitch ahead of the seventh inning Monday night, with the Yankees leading 7-1 at Texas, Cole lifted his right leg and tried to stretch. He bent twice, threw the warmup, then hopped and signaled to the bench. Manager Aaron Boone and director of sports medicine Michael Shuck went to mound.

“Yeah, definitely a big sigh of relief, especially when you’re running out there not knowing what’s going on and fearing the worst,” Boone said before Tuesday’s game. “To see that it was just some cramping, yeah, feel like we dodged a bullet there.”

The Yankees revealed their rotation for this weekend’s series at the Cubs, with Cole (6-3) down for his next scheduled turn on Sunday. Right-handers Luis Gil (lower back strain) and Clarke Schmidt (right lat strain) will both come off the injured list to start the first two games in Chicago. Nestor Cortes will piggyback after either Gil or Schmidt, and then return to the rotation next week against the Boston Red Sox.

Cole (6-3), who struck out nine over six innings against Texas, said after the Yankees won 8-4 that the cramp didn’t seem like it was going away. While not really concerned, he didn’t feel it was the right situation “to keep trying to manipulate it out there.”

The right-hander said Tuesday that his routine before that game included applesauce, plenty of water and two electrolyte drinks.

“It got me to 82 pitches,” he said.

After beginning this season on the 60-day injured list because of nerve irritation and edema in his throwing elbow, Cole was warming up to pitch in the seventh inning for the first time. The right-hander, who turns 34 on Sunday, retired the last nine Rangers batters he faced.

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