AL East Injuries: Updates on Blue Jays' Erik Swanson, Yankees' Gerrit Cole, others

By every account, it seems like the American League East is going to be a dogfight this year. And while we haven't even gotten to Opening Day yet, this weekend featured plenty of injury news that will shape how the division race will shake out this summer.

Here's a rundown of what happened.

Toronto Blue Jays

Erik Swanson

The Blue Jays' bullpen depth took a big hit this weekend when Swanson was shut down due to some elbow discomfort. He's going for an MRI and isn't throwing right now, which means he likely won't be ready for Opening Day.

The Blue Jays added some key pieces to the bullpen in the offseason in the form of Yimi García and Jeff Hoffman, but Swanson was slated to be a key piece.

He had a 2.55 ERA in 24 2/3 innings after being called up from Triple-A last July, and was slated to start the season as the main arm for the sixth or seventh inning. The Blue Jays have plenty of bullpen arms who work as depth pieces, but it'll be tough to replace Swanson's gamesmanship.

Could his injury open the door for an unheralded arm — or a player on another team?

New York Yankees

Gerrit Cole

The 2023 American League Cy Young winner, Cole sent antennas up across baseball on Friday when MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported that Cole was undergoing "diagnostic tests" on his throwing elbow.

After Cole got his inital results on Saturday, he said that he was going to get a second opinion and would have an update in a couple days. On Sunday night, The Athletic's Jim Bowden confirmed every Yankees' fans worst nightmare when he tweeted that Cole as recommended to have Tommy John surgery.

This is the second-straight year that Cole's had injury trouble in spring training. He missed the start of last season due to elbow inflammation that popped up during the spring when he wasn't bouncing back well between throwing sessions. He ended up starting the season on the 60-day IL and didn't play until June.

While Cole is seeking a second opinion on Tommy John, it seems like he's going to be out for a significant portion of time, which is the worst case scenario for the Yankees. New York's already going to be without Luis Gil for a good portion of the summer and also is dealing with an injury to JT Brubaker.

The Yankees still have Max Fried, Clarke Schmidt, Marcus Stroman and Carlos Rodón, but there's no replacing Cole.

Giancarlo Stanton

After Yankees general manager Brian Cashman revealed earlier in the week that Stanton was receiving platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections in both of his elbows, Stanton spoke to the media over the weekend and confirmed the worst about his injury.

On Saturday, the lumbering slugger said that his elbow injuries are "severe" and that any surgery on his elbows would end his season. We already know that Stanton's going to start the season on the injured list, but it seems like there's a good chance that hs might not have a 2025 season at all.

Boston Red Sox

Wilyer Abreu

Abreu was a breakout star for the Red Sox last year when he slashed .253/.322/.781 in 132 games while also playing Gold Glove defense in the outfield.

He has yet to build on that this spring, however, as he's missed all of the exhibition schedule due to a gastrointestinal issue that's caused him to lose some weight.

He's yet to swing a bat this spring, and might not be ready in time for Opening Day.

If Abreu isn't ready for Opening Day, Boston could elect to play star prospect Kristian Campbell in the outfield and/or also call up fellow prospect Roman Anthony. Boston has some young reinforcements who could help fill Abreu's void, but Boston likely doesn't want to spend much time without Abreu in its lineup.

Brayan Bello

Bello is another Red Sox who hasn't played this spring, and he also appears to be tracking to miss Opening Day. Bello's dealing with a shoulder injury.

A one-time top prospect, Bello is coming off a season where he had a 4.49 ERA in 30 starts. His best season came in 2023 when he had a 4.24 ERA in 157 innings.

According to MLB.com's Ian Browne, Richard Fitts or Quinn Priester are the top two candidates to fill in for Bello. Fitts only allowed four earned runs in 20 2/3 innings for Boston last year, while Priester had a 4.71 ERA in 49 2/3 innings with Boston and Pittsburgh last season.

Baltimore Orioles

Grayson Rodriguez and Andrew Kittridge

The Orioles got a double dip of pitcher injuries this weekend, as manager Brandon Hyde annouced that both Rodrigue and Kittridge will start the season on the injured list.

Rodriguez is working through some discomfort in his elbow triceps area, while Kittridge will miss multiple months due to arthroscopic knee surgery.

While no manager wants to be without a young starter like Rodriguez, it seems like he dodged major injury, as Hyde told reporters that he's not concerned about Rodriguez's ligament.

Rodriguez had already told reporters this spring that he felt "sluggish" this spring after having some diminished velocity, so his injury shouldn't come as a surprise. Even if it seems like Rodriguez has avoided serious injury, his absence will still leave a huge hole in Baltimore's rotation.

He was diagnosed with elbow inflammation on Sunday and will be shut down for 7-10 days before starting a throwing program.

The final spot in Baltimore's rotation will now come down to Cade Povich or Albert Suarez.

Kittridge's injury is a huge blow to Baltimore's bullpen after the team signed him to a one-year, $10 million deal in the offseason. He underwent successful left knee debridement which will keep him out for the time being.

The Orioles still have plenty of high-leverage arms in their bullpen like Félix Bautista, Yennier Cano and Seranthony Domínguez, but they signed Kittridge for a reason. It'll be worth watching if they add a veteran arm in free agency ahead of Opening Day.