


Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will have season-ending Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on Tuesday.
The Yankees said the 34-year-old right-hander was examined Monday by Dr. Neal ElAttrache at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles. ElAttrache, the Dodgers’ head team physician, will operate.
“This isn’t the news any athlete wants to hear, but it’s the necessary next step for my career,” Cole said in a statement. “I have a lot left to give, and I’m fully committed to the work ahead. I’ll attack my rehab every day and support the 2025 Yankees each step of the way. ... I can’t wait to be back on the mound — stronger than ever.”
Cole experienced discomfort following his second spring training outing Thursday.
New York also is missing AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, who will be sidelined for at least three months because of a strained lat muscle. Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is sidelined indefinitely because of tendon pain in both elbows, and infielder DJ LeMahieu is out with a calf strain.
A six-time All-Star, Cole threw a perfect first inning Thursday and reached 97.6 mph in the second, when he allowed Matt Wallner’s three-run homer on a fastball in the middle of the strike zone. He also surrendered Brooks Lee’s solo homer in the third on a 94 mph fastball with a 3-0 count.
After winning the 2023 AL Cy Young Award, the six-time All-Star didn’t make his first start last year until June 19 because of nerve irritation and edema in his right elbow. He went 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 17 starts, and then was 1-0 with a 2.17 ERA in five postseason starts.
He exercised his right to opt out of his contract on the third day after the World Series, giving up $144 million over four years and starting a two-day window for the team to void the opt by adding a $36 million salary for 2029. New York decided not to add the year, and Cole then elected to keep his contract.
Dodgers, Roberts reach contract “closure”
Dave Roberts and the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers won’t yet say they have agreed to a new contract.
Multiple reports on Monday said the Dodgers and Roberts have worked out a $32.4 million, four-year deal that would keep him with the club through 2029. At that figure he could have the highest average salary among managers, topping a five-year deal in 2024 for Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell worth more than $40 million.
“I can’t talk so much about it, but I do think there is finally some closure,” Roberts said. “I’m excited. Obviously, this is a place I want to be. I’m sure I’ll go into it more, but hopefully there’s an announcement coming soon. I’m waiting.”
Entering the final season of his current deal, Roberts is about to begin his 10th year with the franchise and has never won less than 91 games in a non-shortened season. His .627% winning percentage tops among current managers and he led the team to World Series titles in 2020 and 2024.
Briefly
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