New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole to have season-ending Tommy John surgery

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will have season-ending Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on Tuesday.

The Yankees said the 34-year-old right-hander was examined Monday by Dr. Neal ElAttrache at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles. ElAttrache, the Dodgers’ head team physician, will operate.

“This isn’t the news any athlete wants to hear, but it’s the necessary next step for my career,” Cole said in a statement. “I have a lot left to give, and I’m fully committed to the work ahead. I’ll attack my rehab every day and support the 2025 Yankees each step of the way. … I can’t wait to be back on the mound — stronger than ever.”

Cole experienced discomfort following his second spring training outing Thursday.

New York also is missing another starting pitcher, AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, who will be sidelined for at least three months because of a strained lat muscle. Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is sidelined indefinitely because of tendon pain in both elbows, and infielder DJ LeMahieu is out with a calf strain.

“You’ve got to be able to handle it and deal with it and maneuver,” manager Aaron Boone told the YES Network before the team announced Cole’s surgery. “It’s not a death sentence for us by any means, so it’s an opportunity for someone else. … The reality is Gerrit still has a lot of pitching in front of him in his career and pitching with the Yankees and we want that to be as successful as it’s been already.”

A six-time All-Star, Cole threw a perfect first inning Thursday and reached 97.6 mph in the second, when he allowed Matt Wallner’s three-run homer on a fastball in the middle of the strike zone. He also surrendered Brooks Lee’s solo homer in the third on a 94 mph fastball with a 3-0 count.

Cole signed a $324 million, nine-year contract before the 2020 season.

After winning the 2023 AL Cy Young Award, the six-time All-Star didn’t make his first start last year until June 19 because of nerve irritation and edema in his right elbow. He went 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 17 starts, and then was 1-0 with a 2.17 ERA in five postseason starts.

He exercised his right to opt out of his contract on the third day after the World Series, giving up $144 million over four years and starting a two-day window for the team to void the opt-out by adding a $36 million salary for 2029. New York decided not to add the year, and Cole then elected to keep his contract.

Cole is 153-80 with a 3.18 ERA in 12 seasons for Pittsburgh (2013-17), Houston (2018-19) and the Yankees (2020-24).

Max Fried now heads a rotation that includes Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt and Marcus Stroman.

Will Warren and Carlos Carrasco are among the options for a fifth starter.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB