Yanks' Gerrit Cole late scratch vs. Phils, says he's 'a bit run-down'

PHILADELPHIA -- New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole was a late scratch from this scheduled start against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday with body fatigue. Right-hander Will Warren, one of the organization's top prospects, will make his major league debut in his place.

Cole insisted the decision was not related to an arm issue. He said his body simply hasn't recovered as expected from his last outing against the New York Mets last week. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Cole has been dealing with a stomach bug.

"There's nothing really specific," Cole said. "It's just hard to bounce back. Just a bit run-down."

The decision to push Cole's start back was made Monday night. Cole said he could have pitched Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park, but he chose to take more time to recover when given the option. He said he expects to pitch this weekend against the Toronto Blue Jays, though the day hasn't been decided.

"It gave everyone some hesitation," Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said of Cole's recovery. "He had a quick ramp-up to get back with us. I was like, 'Take a breather. Let's get him a few days.' In this environment, with this lineup, it didn't really seem to add up for us."

Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, made his season debut June 19 after starting the season on the injured list with nerve irritation and edema in his right elbow. He joined the team not yet fully ramped up following three rehab starts. He has made seven starts with the Yankees but didn't reach his typical pitch count until his fifth outing. He has since thrown at least 100 pitches in his past three starts, posting a 5.40 ERA across 35 innings.

"I'm still [seven] starts into this season for me," Cole said. "And everyone else is in the middle of it all, so I feel different than other people. And maybe we all go through this at the beginning of the season or 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.

"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 and the time after that. That was the point of the decision."

Warren, 25, has a 6.11 ERA in 20 starts for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre but has been better in four outings this month, recording a 2.91 ERA over 21 innings. His fifth start this month will be his first as a big leaguer against one of baseball's most formidable offenses.