Gerrit

Cole

The move opens up a 40-man roster spot, and the Yankees used that space to add Carlos Carrasco to the active roster. Cole will miss all of 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and he could miss a portion — potentially a significant one — of the 2026 campaign as well.

The Yankees announced the decision Monday evening following Cole’s visit with specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. It’s a crushing development for fantasy purposes since Cole was a top-15 range starting pitcher, on average, in drafts this spring. It’s obviously another significant hit to New York’s rotation depth shortly after losing young flamethrower Luis Gil for the next three-plus months due to a high-grade lat strain. It’ll be some combination of Marcus Stroman, Will Warren, Carlos Carrasco and Allan Winans filling the immediate void, but we’re fully anticipating the Yankees aggressively pursuing alternatives on the trade market. The 34-year-old right-hander will likely be sidelined until midway through the 2026 campaign.

Dr. ElAttrache will meet with Cole to determiner the next steps in Cole’s recovery. It’s been reported that the right-hander has received a recommendation to undergo Tommy John surgery, but Cole and the Yankees are getting a second opinion. Fantasy managers should be prepared for the worst, but more info should be available on Cole’s status in the coming days.

Bowden notes that the Yankees are waiting to hear on a second opinion before confirming that diagnosis. That report jives with what was reported earlier on Sunday where general manager Brian Cashman told reporters he’s “prepared for the worst.” We should have clarification within the next couple of days, but it sounds like Cole may not be throwing a single pitch for the Yankees during the 2025 season.

Cole underwent diagnostic tests on his elbow after giving up six runs in his second spring training start against the Twins Thursdays. The 34-year-old right-hander is currently seeking a second opinion and has expressed publicly that he’s “concerned” about what the imaging might show. Now his GM has told the media that he’s prepared for the worst-case scenario. Tommy John surgery would keep Cole out until the middle of the 2026 season. The best-case scenario now would be to rest and try to come back in a few months. Either way, Cole, a relatively early pitcher pick this winter, is off fantasy draft boards at this point.

Cole told reporters he’s “hoping for the best” and that he’ll find out more in the next couple of days. The right-hander is undergoing diagnostic tests on his right elbow after a shaky performance Thursday in the Grapefruit League against the Twins. Fantasy managers need to start drafting a backup plan if they selected Cole with a (relatively) early pick this winter.

Uh oh. Cole was lit up for six runs in Thursday’s Grapefruit League start against the Twins, though he did see his velocity bump back up slightly during that outing. It sounds like he complained of some soreness in the elbow after that start though which raised a cause for concern. The 34-year-old ace missed nearly three months last year due to elbow issues. The Yankees expect to have a clearer picture on his status within the next couple of days. Even if it does wind up being something minor, it will still put his status for the start of the regular season in jeopardy. His absence would likely result in Will Warren or Carlos Carrasco making New York’s season-opening rotation.

Schmidt will take the ball on April 3 against the Diamondbacks at Yankee Stadium. The 29-year-old righty has been dealing with a bit of back soreness early on in camp and is a bit behind the rest of the Yankees’ starting pitchers. He’ll hang back at the club’s spring training facility in Tampa and will throw a live session on the off day before the club’s season-opener to continue to build up. Gerrit Cole is set to start on Opening Day and would work the fifth game of the season on regular rest with Schmidt joining the rotation after that.

Matt Wallner and Brooks Lee homered off him. Cole’s fastball velocity was back up some today; he averaged 95.7 mph, compared to 95.0 in his spring debut and 95.9 mph last season. However, his secondary pitches were all down more significantly. The extremely early signs here don’t point to a return to dominance from Cole. We wouldn’t write him off, but he should be drafted as more of a No. 2 than a No. 1 in mixed leagues.

The 34-year-old right-hander punched out five batters on the evening and didn’t issue a base on balls. It should be taken with a bit of a grain of salt, as the Blue Jays’ lineup contained only three potential regulars — Joey Loperfido, Anthony Santander and Will Wagner. His punchout victims were Loperfido, Arjun Nimmala, Orelvis Martinez and Addison Barger (twice). The damage done against Cole came in the third inning on an RBI double off the bat of Wagner. He got seven swings and misses on 46 pitches in the contest, registering an elite CSW of 39 percent. His fastball velocity averaged 95.0 mph, which was a bit under his 2024 average (95.9 mph) and well under where he has been in season’s past. On average, Cole has been the 13th starting pitcher off the board in early drafts.