The New York Yankees have been through quite a roller coaster ride this offseason. Following a trip to the World Series, the Bronx Bombers were on top of the world. Shortly after the World Series ended and the Los Angeles Dodgers reigned supreme, the Yankees hit a new low as they watched Juan Soto sign with the New York Mets.
The Yankees would go on to add a plethora of talent after losing out on Soto. They added Devin Williams, Paul Goldschmidt, Max Fried, and a few other talented players. Spirits were high heading into spring training.
But spring training has destroyed the team's pitching staff. First, Luis Gil would go down with a lat strain that's likely to keep him on the sideline for at least a month. Next, it was announced that Gerrit Cole would undergo Tommy John surgery. This surgery would cause Cole to miss the entire 2025 season and potentially part of the 2026 season.
Despite all this bad news, the Yankees received some relatively good news in regard to the Cole injury.
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Gerrit Cole undergoes UCL surgery with internal bracing, could shorten recovery time
The Yankees recently announced that Cole underwent UCL surgery with internal bracing on the UCL. For those unfamiliar, internal bracing the ligament can help reduce inflammation which would boost the recovery process.
There are typically three different UCL surgeries. The typical Tommy John surgery involves no internal brace and could keep a pitcher sidelined for 12 to 18 months. Typically, it's closer to 18 months than it is 12. Then, there's an internal brace surgery which involves bracing the torn ligament and reattaching it. This is typically only done if the ligament is partially torn or torn from the bone. The final option is a bit of a hybrid, which is likely (though not confirmed) the surgery that Cole was given. This is very similar to the typical Tommy John surgery but includes the bracing as extra support.
With Cole, it's likely they went with the hybrid option. It should shorten his recovery time down to anywhere between 10 and 12 months.
As long as there are no setbacks in the rehab and recovery process, this would have Cole ramped up and ready to go for opening day in 2026.