So, in the never-ending saga of “Can the Yankees Ever Catch a Break?” we have our latest installment: Gerrit Cole went under the knife for UCL surgery. But wait! Before you start panic-Googling “Tommy John recovery timeline” and resigning yourself to another lost season, the Yankees assure us that this is a slightly different procedure. And, you know, the Yankees have never been vague or overly optimistic about injuries before… so let’s just take this at face value, right?
According to the team (who we definitely trust 100% to be upfront about medical situations), Cole’s surgery involved internal bracing—a fancy term that, in theory, should speed up the recovery process. For those not up on their medical jargon, internal bracing stabilizes the ligament and reduces inflammation, which should mean a shorter stay on the IL.
Now, for the crash course in UCL surgeries:
- Regular Tommy John surgery: No internal brace, just the standard ligament reconstruction, and you can kiss at least 12-18 months of baseball goodbye.
- Internal brace surgery: This is for less severe tears where they brace and reattach the ligament, potentially shaving off some recovery time.
- Hybrid surgery: The Yankees haven’t explicitly confirmed it, but let’s be honest, they haven’t exactly been forthcoming with injury details in the past. This option is a mix of traditional Tommy John and internal bracing, theoretically offering a better shot at a quicker return.
And where does that leave Cole? Well, best-case scenario, he’s back on a mound in 10-12 months. If all goes smoothly—because rehab setbacks never happen in sports (wink, wink)—he should be good to go by Opening Day 2026. So, while this news isn’t exactly cause for a parade, it’s also not full-blown baseball apocalypse. Yet.
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