New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole underwent successful Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) earlier this week, and a potential timeline for return has been revealed.
Though it all depends on how Cole recovers from the surgery and subsequent rehab, the Yankees are hoping that a particular decision within the procedure will get the former Cy Young winner back on the mound sooner rather than later.
As Cole begins the next step of his journey after surgery, it was revealed that the procedure included an internal brace, which could help the 34-year-old return within 12 months, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
Even on that timeline, it’s very unlikely that Cole will be game-ready by April 2026. Given his age and importance to the team, it’s very likely the organization will proceed with caution to avoid any chance of a setback.
The Yankees are moving on without Cole for the 2025 season as their World Series hopes have been dramatically dashed. It doesn’t appear the front office has the desire to make a significant move so it’s likely they have to lean into the development of prospect Will Warren or hand the reins to a veteran like Carlos Carrasco.
There’s a long road ahead for Cole, who has never missed this amount of time during his Major League career but now the focus for New York is to do everything they can to get him ready for 2026.
