New York Yankees in Serious Trouble With Ace Potentially Headed for Tommy John

The New York Yankees received some absolute nightmarish news over the weekend which may be the final nail in the coffin for what has been a disastrous last few weeks.

Late last week, Yankees Cy Young ace Gerrit Cole was announced to be headed for "diagnostic tests" on his elbow a day after he struggled in a spring training start and gave up six earned runs in just 2.2 innings. Then on Sunday, news broke that while Cole is seeking a second opinion, he has been recommended for Tommy John surgery by doctors.

Last spring, Cole went for testing and wound up missing half the season, an outcome which at this point would be unfortunate but significantly better than the direction this situation appears to be heading.

If Cole were to be forced to undergo Tommy John, his 2025 season would obviously be over before it begins, likely bleeding into the 2026 season as well even in a best case scenario.

Cole's injury is just the latest and biggest blow in what has been an absolutely dreadful spring in the injury department.

With the most important pitcher staring down the barrel of potentially season-ending surgery after reigning Rookie of the Year Luis Gil is already lost at least three months, a rotation which looked like one of the best in baseball headed into the spring is a shell of what it appeared to be.

On the offensive side of the ball, designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is out for an extended period of time and potentially the season as well if he is forced to have surgery, a possibility which looms heavily as he prepares for a third round of PRP injections.

Stanton's situation comes with presumptive starting third baseman DJ LeMahieu also dealing with an ailment which could force him to miss the start of the year.

Things were already bad with regards to injuries before Cole went down, though they were at least manageable to this point. If the initial opinion is correct and New York's ace really is lost for the entire year, this is a team which is going to have a hard time making the playoffs let alone defending their American League pennant.

Spring training has gone about as poorly as possible and the season is now just over two weeks away with the team in dire straits. It's not to say the year is over for the Yankees as new players will of course have to step up, but things have gotten a whole heck of a lot more challenging with no doubt more challenges ahead.

As for Cole, the right-hander is under contract through the 2028 season for more than $35 million per season, making it likely that even if the worst is confirmed, his New York career is far from over.

That's not much of a consolation however for Yankees fans who just got closer to immortality than they have been in a decade and a half and are hungry to return to the World Series.

It could be time for New York to recalibrate its expectation on what a successful season looks like in 2025, otherwise risk mass disappointment once again.

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