Doctors Recommend Tommy John Surgery For Yankees’ Gerrit Cole, Awaiting Second Opinion
It’s more bad news on the injury front for the New York Yankees.
Amidst a second straight injury-riddled spring, ace Gerrit Cole has been recommended to undergo Tommy John surgery to address an issue in his right elbow, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden reports. He added that the 2023 American League Cy Young winner is awaiting the results of a second opinion.
The 34-year-old hurler said he was “concerned” about the health of his pitching elbow after experiencing discomfort following his most recent Grapefruit League outing last Thursday against the Minnesota Twins, prompting a series of scans.
“We have an initial idea, but we’re going to wait to see exactly what everybody says before we come to our conclusion,” Cole told reporters Saturday at George M. Steinbrenner Field, including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.
Cole was in this exact position a year ago. Last spring, the six-time All-Star was sidelined due to right elbow inflammation and ultimately began the 2024 regular season on the injured list, delaying his campaign until June.
Rather than undergo surgery, the Yankees ace was advised he could treat his ailment with rest and rehab – a far more appealing option than missing the entire season due to Tommy John.
The 6-foot-4 righty surrendered six runs (all earned) on five hits – including two home runs – while striking out a pair over 2.2 innings versus the Twins during his second outing of the spring. He tossed 3.1 frames of one-run ball and punched out five in his spring debut against the Toronto Blue Jays.
“There were a lot of good things that were happening in the game the other day, but as I got home, I just continued to get more and more sore,” Cole said. “When I woke up [Friday] morning, something wasn’t right. … It was tough to sleep. It was alarming.”
Despite missing the first two months of 2024, Cole helped lead New York to last fall’s World Series, posting a 3.41 ERA and 3.69 FIP with 99 strikeouts over 17 starts in his fifth season with the Bronx Bombers. He also made five postseason starts, pitching to a 2.17 ERA with 22 punchouts.
The Yankees are already slated to begin this season without reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, who’s expected to miss a minimum of three months due to a right lat strain.
If Cole also begins the ‘25 campaign on the IL, chances are rookie Will Warren – who’s impressed in camp to the tune of a 1.13 ERA with 11 strikeouts in eight innings – would be first in line to serve as his injury replacement.
New York’s starting staff is currently expected to feature Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt and Marcus Stroman – who’s returned to the rotation after entering camp as the club’s sixth starter. The organization’s depth beyond that group includes non-roster invitees Carlos Carrasco, Allan Winans, Sean Boyle, Brandon Leibrandt and Erick Leal.
The Yankees’ injury woes also have designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (elbows) and infielder DJ LeMahieu (calf) both slated to begin this season on the IL.
In Stanton’s case, he could miss the entire year if surgery is ultimately required to address the discomfort he’s been experiencing in both elbows since last season. For now, he’s headed for a third round of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Jeffrey Hyde. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.