The New York Yankees and their fans seemingly had their worst fears confirmed on Sunday. According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, Gerrit Cole has been recommended to have Tommy John surgery. He and the team will await a second opinion, but if Cole goes under the knife, it is the biggest hit yet for a Yankees team slammed by multiple injuries this spring.
According to source, Gerrit Cole has been recommended to have TJ surgery… but they are now waiting for a 2nd opinion to confirm the diagnosis #Yankees
— Jim Bowden
(@JimBowdenGM) March 10, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Report: Gerrit Cole Will Likely Need Tommy John Surgery
The Yankees ace reported abnormal soreness in his throwing arm after his last spring start on Thursday, in which he gave up six earned runs against the Minnesota Twins. “In the game there was a lot of good stuff happening the other day, but as I got home I just continued to get more and more sore. Something wasn’t right,” Cole said.
The grim news continues an injury-filled spring training for the Yankees. Within the last week, both slugger Giancarlo Stanton and defending American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil were both ruled out for the start of the season. In Stanton’s case, he has “severe injuries” in both elbows as a result of re-tooling his swing last year. He will start the season on the injured list, and there is no timetable for his return to baseball activity. As for Gil, multiple MRIs showed that he has a high-grade lat strain. He is shut down from throwing for six weeks and likely targeting a midseason return at best.
In the absence of Cole and Gil, the onus will fall on new Yankee Max Fried to carry the rotation. New York signed the free-agent lefty to an eight-year deal this offseason. Carlos Rodón will also need to improve on his first two seasons in pinstripes. While he showed improvement last year with a 16-9 record, the occasional bad start kept his ERA relatively inflated at 3.96. Marcus Stroman likely figures even more into the rotation calculus as well. Arguably a trade candidate in the offseason, Gil’s injury opened the door for Stroman to potentially rejoin the rotation. With Cole now out, the 33-year-old veteran will almost certainly have a rotation spot to kick off the season.
Photo Credit: © Dave Nelson-Imagn Images
The post Report: Yankees Ace Gerrit Cole Likely Needs Tommy John Surgery appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.