TAMPA The dreaded has become the reality. Acce s the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Gerrit Cole will not throw a pitch in 2025 for a Yankees team that has been dealt a monumental blow. The ace received the news that was feared from player, club and fan base: He will need Tommy John surgery. The Yankees announced the determination Monday, after Cole . ElAttrache will perform the surgery Tuesday. In a statement on social media, Cole said his goal of helping to bring a World Series to New York remains. Gerrit Cole is pictured during a spring training outing. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post This isnt the news any athlete wants to hear, but its the nece sary next step for my career, wrote Cole, whose visit to ElAttrache last March went better. After one Grapefruit League start last spring, Coles elbow bothered him before he eventually received a diagnosis of nerve inflammation and edema, which called for rest and rehabilitation. Cole lasted two Grapefruit League starts this spring before the same elbow grew alarming, Cole said. Explore More The righty was knocked around in an outing Kawhi Leonard Jersey Thursday, felt the hinge grow progre sively more sore and knew something wasnt right. It is difficult to overstate what the lo s of Cole means to the player and his Yankees future. The six-time All-Star is on a Hall of Fame trajectory and has been an outlier in a sport in which pitchers of all qualities drop every season. Even with the saga last spring that pushed Coles season debut to mid-June, only Aaron Nola has thrown more innings since 2017. After his opt-out drama this winter in which the Yankees declined to attach an extra season to his pact and Cole then withdrew his decision to opt out Cole is owed $144 million for the final four years of his contract, one of which is finished before it began. Presuming a 2026 return, Cole would be 35 and hoping to be the same pitcher on the other side of the operating table. I have a lot left to give, and Im fully committed to the work ahead, Cole wrote. Ill attack my rehab every day and support the 2025 Yankees each step of the way. I love this game, I love competing, and I cant wait to be back on the mound stronger than ever. See you soon. The news came as both gut-wrenching and expected. We all understand who he is to our team and how important he is to our club, manager Aaron Boone said before the official announcement. But unfortunately, sometimes its part of the game. We mi sed him for the first couple months last year this time of year, and it created opportunities that guys stepped up in. Gerrit Cole hands the ball to Aaron Boone at the end of his spring training outing for the Yankees on Feb. 28. Charles Wenzelberg It is also difficult to overstate what the lo s of Cole means for a club that just won a pennant and has World Series aspirations. Free agent addition Max Fried becomes the de facto ace. Because of Coles elbow and Luis Gils lat, Marcus Stroman has gone from a trade candidate to the fourth starter. Prospect Will Warren and veteran Carlos Carrasco are competing for No. 5. Gerrit Cole throws a pitch during his spring training outing for the Yankees on March 6. Dave Nelson-Imagn Images It doesnt change the expectation of the group and the mood of the group, Boone said. After an injury-abbreviated but still generally encouraging 24 from Cole, the Yankees ordered an MRI exam on his arm after the season and felt it was in a really good spot, Boone said. They prescribed a different throwing routine this offseason after Cole thought his buildup was too hasty last year, and Cole began throwing in November earlier than usual. Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Still, a pitcher who is nearing 2,000 career innings and never had succumbed to Tommy John might have maxed out his odometer. You can do all the steps right, and obviously Gerrits as diligent as they come and methodical with everything that he does, Boone said. We felt like were in a good spot, but you also understand the history of the last year and a guy thats pitched a lot in this league. On Sunday, GM Brian Cashman said he was prepared for the worst. It was unclear whether Cashman was busy preparing for the worst, and whether that would mean making phone calls to, say, the Padres for Dylan Cease or maybe the Marlins for Sandy Alcntara. The Yankees consistently have said they are happy with the depth of their rotation and the starters who could step up. Those arms will be tested immediately after the Yankees notched their largest lo s of the season before the season even arrived. Patrick Patterson Jersey