After days of preparing for the worst, the Yankees announced that Gerrit Cole had a torn UCL in his right elbow that will require season-ending Tommy John Surgery to repair. After the Yankees dealt with an elbow scare from the ace in 2024 that resulted in him just missing time with nerve inflammation, his elbow condition never bounced back the way the team hoped it would. He was good enough to help them win the AL East and get to the World Series, but the wear and tear on his elbow finally caught up to him.
The Yankees will now have to try and get back to the World Series without their ace, a tough blow that could seriously hurt their chances of bringing home their 28th World Series Championship.
Gerrit Cole Suffers UCL Tear, Yankees Lose Ace For 2025
The Yankees only had Gerrit Cole for 17 starts last season, as he posted a 3.41 ERA and got better as the season progressed, but now they’ll get zero starts from their ace in 2025. The loss of Cole signifies not only a tough blow for their chances of winning the World Series but also a devastating loss from the perspective of the clubhouse. Cole had become the leader of this pitching staff by not only his performances on the mound but the respect he garnered from teammates on the roster.
He served as a valuable mentor when he was on the IL last season to both Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil, but the Yankees will have to ask for even more from their depth arms due to this injury. Just days after the team announced that Luis Gil had a high-grade late strain that will cost him three months of the season, Gerrit Cole will now miss the entire 2025 season, taking two of the team’s five best starters out of the mix when the team heads up north to Tampa.
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Gerrit Cole met with Dr. Neal ElAttrache earlier today in Los Angeles where it was determined that his UCL tear was too severe to simply rehab and recover, as he will need surgery to repair it. He is now set to miss the entire 2025 season and could miss a chunk of the 2026 season as well depending on the recovery timeline provided. Tommy John Surgery typically requires a 12-18 month rehab in order to return to the mound, and the Yankees know this is a gut punch.
There wasn’t much optimism surrounding the state of his elbow entering the weekend when it was initially announced that Cole was dealing with soreness in his elbow, as the Yankees seemed to know this was a real problem immediately. It was reported by Andy Martino of SNY earlier that Gerrit Cole showed signs of fatigue in the postseason which could have been tied to the elbow, and the signing of Max Fried could have been a result of them knowing something was up.
Now, Max Fried becomes the ace of the Yankees, and they’ll have to hope he lives up to his record-setting contract or else their rotation could be in a world of trouble.