New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will have an MRI of his right elbow after experiencing issues in bouncing back following spring training starts.

The 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner has been durable in career, making at least 30 starts in each of the last six full regular seasons.

“He described it as his recovery, leading into his next start, has been more akin to what he feels in the season when he’s making 100 pitches,” Yankees Manager Aaron Boone said Monday. “He usually doesn’t have the recovery issues he’s having. It’s been more of a challenge, more taxing. So we’re going to get an MRI to see what we’re dealing with here.”

The 33-year-old has been throwing fewer pitches in his spring training starts this year than other rotation members.

“I think there’s a level of discomfort, but I wouldn’t describe it as he’s in pain,” Boone said. “His stuff and his command has been really good in his outings. He’s just having a hard time recovering like he’s used to.’’

Cole is entering the fifth season of a $324 million, nine-year contract that pays $36 million annually. He has the right to opt out after the season and become a free agent, but if he opts out the Yankees can void the opt out by adding a guaranteed $36 million salary for 2029.

Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge is not expected to play again until Wednesday due to spring training fatigue.

“A little mid-spring kind of beat up just with all the work they do in the cage and backfield and stuff,” Boone said.

Judge has not taken on-field batting practice the last couple days and was replaced after three innings and two at-bats, in which he struck out both times, in Sunday’s game against Atlanta.

“We want to make sure especially with your veteran guys, they’re not overdoing at this time of year, but at the same time, obviously you’ve got to ramp them up,” Boone said. “He actually does a really good job of governing and protecting himself.″

BRAVES: Atlanta optioned top prospect AJ Smith-Shawver to Triple-A Gwinnett, moving closer to settling on their pitching staff for Opening Day.

The move was not surprising, given the 21-year-old right-hander’s inexperience. It clears the way for the Braves to pick between Bryce Elder and Reynaldo López for the fifth spot in the starting rotation behind Spencer Strider, Max Fried, Chris Sale and Charlie Morton.

Smith-Shawver was sent down after giving up seven hits and four earned runs in three innings of a spring training game Sunday against the New York Yankees. In three starts during the exhibition season, he showed glimpses of his enormous potential – recording 11 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings – but also gave up 12 hits, seven earned runs and two homers.

GIANTS: Third baseman J.D. Davis was released by San Francisco after beating the team last month in salary arbitration and will get just over $1.1 million in termination pay rather than a $6.9 million salary.

Davis was awarded the salary by a three-person panel rather than the team’s $6.55 million offer. Under baseball’s collective bargaining agreement, negotiated contracts for arbitration-eligible players are guaranteed, while salaries decided by an arbitration panel are not. That allowed the Giants to release Davis for 30 days’ termination pay, which came to $1,112,903.

Davis, who turns 31 next month, hit .248 with 18 homers and 69 RBI last year in his first full season with the Giants, who obtained him from the New York Mets in August 2022. He also plays first base and outfield but became expendable when the Giants agreed to a $54 million, three-year contract with third baseman Matt Chapman.

HALL OF FAME: Joe Torre was elected vice chairman of baseball’s Hall of Fame.

The 83-year-old was elected to the Hall in 2014 and joined the board in 2023. The decision by the board, chaired by Jane Forbes Clark, filled a position that had been held by Joe Morgan for 20 years until his death in 2020.

Torre was the 1971 NL MVP and hit .297 with 252 homers and 2,342 hits in 18 seasons for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves (1960-68), St. Louis (1969-74) and New York Mets (1975-77).

He was 2,326-1,997 as manager of the Mets (1977-81), Atlanta (1982-84), Cardinals (1990-95), New York Yankees (1996-2007) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2008), winning four World Series titles and six AL pennants with the Yankees.