CNN
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New York Yankees ace right-hander Gerrit Cole will undergo Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow, the team announced Monday.
The 2023 American League Cy Young winner is set to have surgery Tuesday and will likely miss the entire 2025 season.
Earlier on Monday, Cole was seen by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the specialist surgeon who will perform the procedure, at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles, the Yankees said. It typically takes nine months or longer for pitchers to recover from the surgery.
It’s a huge hit for the defending American League champions. Cole has been the team’s ace since arriving as a free agent ahead of the 2020 season and was expected to be a crucial part of their push to get back to the World Series.
The six-time All-Star experienced right elbow soreness following Thursday’s spring training game against the Minnesota Twins.
Cole struggled in the outing as he gave up six runs on five hits in just two-and-two-thirds innings in the Yankees 8-4 loss.
Afterward, the 34-year-old told reporters he got sorer after the contest but felt good during the game.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters Sunday that he was “prepared for the worst.”
It’s the second straight spring in which elbow issues have plagued the star pitcher.
Cole missed the start of the 2024 season with a right elbow inflammation and edema that he developed during spring training. He returned to the mound in June and went on to finish with an 8-5 record and 3.41 ERA in 17 starts. He struck out 99 batters in 95 innings.
In the postseason, Cole was 1-0 with an 2.17 ERA in five starts. He is 153-80 with a 3.18 ERA for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros and the Yankees in 12 MLB seasons.