Gerrit Cole to have TJS....likely won't be back until mid-2026

[caulfield12]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44197050/new-york-yankees-ace-gerrit-cole-tommy-john-surgery

Start the trade rumors, stat!

Please move to Diamond Club after the initial excitement/signs of consternation die down.

Once again, the pitching injuries are piling up with key contributors across MLB.

Edited Tuesday at 01:10 AM by caulfield12

[Ducksnort]

This is insane. How the hell is the league going to fix this.

[caulfield12]

Luis Gil is out for at least 3 months as well with a lat, not to mention Stanton's elbow problems (possible surgery).

That puts Marcus Stroman back in play for NYY in the short term.

Rotation is "Marcus Stroman, who appeared to be on the outside looking in at a five-man rotation, will almost certainly reclaim a spot as a starter, with the Yankees still in search of a fifth. Carlos Rodón, Max Fried and Clarke Schmidt will fill out the rest of their rotation."

 

The trade with the Yankees/Padres now bites even deeper, because they also traded Brito and Vasquez from their starting depth, as well as Ian Thorpe (now obviously with the White Sox).

[southsider2k5]

[GreenSox]

The Sox have a couple of 5th-starter arms to offer up for sale.

[caulfield12]

  On 3/11/2025 at 1:47 AM, GreenSox said:

The Sox have a couple of 5th-starter arms to offer up for sale.

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Martin Perez and Bryse Wilson?

They will shoot higher than that.

Perez is an outside possibility though.

[chitownsportsfan]

  On 3/11/2025 at 1:17 AM, Ducksnort said:

This is insane. How the hell is the league going to fix this.

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He almost had it last year. Human elbow just isn't meant to throw baseballs 95 mph+ without wear and tear eventually requiring surgery. It's become a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy as well as @ptatc says in the rehab and prevention field it's almost just assumed you might as well get it out of the way sooner or later so you've got guys going max effort at all times and just wondering when their name will be called.

I'm not sure it's a problem for the league, but it's certainly a problem for individual players and their careers. I believe someone will eventually create a training plan that reduces the risk, as there is too much money at stake not to, but I don't think it will ever be completely mitigated.

Edited Tuesday at 02:34 AM by chitownsportsfan

[ptatc]

  On 3/11/2025 at 1:17 AM, Ducksnort said:

This is insane. How the hell is the league going to fix this.

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They tried to with the pitching clock. Thought it may make the pitchers decrease the max effort by not giving them as much time to recover.

Did go that way.

[ptatc]

  On 3/11/2025 at 2:34 AM, chitownsportsfan said:

He almost had it last year. Human elbow just isn't meant to throw baseballs 95 mph+ without wear and tear eventually requiring surgery. It's become a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy as well as @ptatc says in the rehab and prevention field it's almost just assumed you might as well get it out of the way sooner or later so you've got guys going max effort at all times and just wondering when their name will be called.

I'm not sure it's a problem for the league, but it's certainly a problem for individual players and their careers. I believe someone will eventually create a training plan that reduces the risk, as there is too much money at stake not to, but I don't think it will ever be completely mitigated.

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Problem is a ligament is not a muscle where you can directly train it to withstand more forces. With heavy lifting you can thicken ligaments some but not much and it's tough to do on the inside of the elbow.

The elbow has an inherent weakness as it has a valgus bend to it where the forearm is naturally lateral to the elbow.

This creates a weakness when throwing as the hand drags behind the elbow and the only thing really keeping the arm together is the UCL specifically the anterior bands. 

We haven't been able to figure a way around that yet. For now it's a reconstructionwhich there are constantly improving surgeries. 

[chitownsportsfan]

  On 3/11/2025 at 3:28 AM, ptatc said:

Problem is a ligament is not a muscle where you can directly train it to withstand more forces. With heavy lifting you can thicken ligaments some but not much and it's tough to do on the inside of the elbow.

The elbow has an inherent weakness as it has a valgus bend to it where the forearm is naturally lateral to the elbow.

This creates a weakness when throwing as the hand drags behind the elbow and the only thing really keeping the arm together is the UCL specifically the anterior bands. 

We haven't been able to figure a way around that yet. For now it's a reconstructionwhich there are constantly improving surgeries. 

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One thing my surgeon said about my tendons that ripped is that "micro stress" and "micro tears" are often an indicator of eventual full rupture. My own research in my rehab indicated that middle aged active in sport men with a history of patella tendonitis were one of the most extreme outliers for patella tendon ruptures. 

I say this only to wonder if eventually they will have some sort of tool or solution to ID'ing the initial stages leading to a TJS beyond just "soreness" or "inflammation".  Maybe we can ID the problem so early that eventually you just get a little fix before it even happens.

[caulfield12]

  On 3/11/2025 at 3:54 AM, chitownsportsfan said:

One thing my surgeon said about my tendons that ripped is that "micro stress" and "micro tears" are often an indicator of eventual full rupture. My own research in my rehab indicated that middle aged active in sport men with a history of patella tendonitis were one of the most extreme outliers for patella tendon ruptures. 

I say this only to wonder if eventually they will have some sort of tool or solution to ID'ing the initial stages leading to a TJS beyond just "soreness" or "inflammation".  Maybe we can ID the problem so early that eventually you just get a little fix before it even happens.

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Always/inexorably seems to be the dreaded "forearm soreness" as a precursor.

Edited Tuesday at 05:10 AM by caulfield12

[caulfield12]

General manager Brian Cashman still has a club that boasts an enviable cache of talented starters. Even with Cole out for the season and reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil down with a lat strain for a few months, the Yankees have a strong quartet of Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt and Marcus Stroman, who seemed destined for the bullpen at the outset of camp, before the downpour of injuries. The fifth starter spot will come down to veteran Carlos Carrasco or youngster Will Warren, who impressed in 3 2/3 innings on Monday.

“Not a death sentence for us, by any means,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone opined on the broadcast before the news about his ace had even dropped.

But there is no replacing Cole.

...

Pitching is a violent, volatile pursuit, one that collects victims by the dozen and can strike ruthlessly in an instant. And Cole’s injury, considering his recent past, cannot be considered a surprise. Given the “mileage” as Boone put it, built up on his arm, Cole was, in some ways, ducking doom with every pitch he threw.

In the end, even one of the game’s most methodical workers and most durable workhorses was no match for the always-lurking dangers of hucking a baseball 95 miles per hour. And now, it will be quite a while before the Yankees’ enduring, domineering ace gets to put on the pinstripes again.

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/with-gerrit-cole-undergoing-season-ending-surgery-where-do-the-yankees-and-their-ace-go-from-here-234241902.html

[greg775]

I've said it before, but how can baseball owners justify throwing big bucks at any starter who hasn't yet had Tommy John surgery? I mean it seems like it's what happens to all pitchers nowadays. I realize baseball owners make so much money it doesn't matter, but still, how can you justify giving any pitcher a 3, 5, 7 year deal if they have yet to undergo TJ surgery? Cole was great last year but he's now old news. He's gonna be out a long long time. Wasted $$.

[ptatc]

  On 3/11/2025 at 3:54 AM, chitownsportsfan said:

One thing my surgeon said about my tendons that ripped is that "micro stress" and "micro tears" are often an indicator of eventual full rupture. My own research in my rehab indicated that middle aged active in sport men with a history of patella tendonitis were one of the most extreme outliers for patella tendon ruptures. 

I say this only to wonder if eventually they will have some sort of tool or solution to ID'ing the initial stages leading to a TJS beyond just "soreness" or "inflammation".  Maybe we can ID the problem so early that eventually you just get a little fix before it even happens.

Expand  

That is much more accurate with tendons than ligaments due to the collagen makeup of the tissue. What you said is true for the Achilles tendon as well however the key your point is the middle age part. As we age collagen transforms and become less flexible. The glycoaminoclycans become less hydrophilic. Essentially the tissue dries out and become less flexible. Ligaments are less flexible to begin with thus don't suffer as much of this decrease. All tissue weakens with age but the more flexible ones are more susceptible to it.

All that being said you are correct where it would be very beneficial to have a way to detect it earlier without doing an mri every week.

[GreenSox]

  On 3/11/2025 at 2:13 AM, caulfield12 said:

Martin Perez and Bryse Wilson?

They will shoot higher than that.

Perez is an outside possibility though.

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Those two immediately, but by June, we should have a couple of better arms all present and correct.  But I think their value will only increase as  time passes; and heck we may want to keep them anyway.

[Snopek]

Sandy Alcantara feels like an obvious target, but I don’t know if the Yankees have the prospects to get it done.

[caulfield12]

"Having given Montas and Manaea a combined $109MM, the Mets faithful want to know how the team doctors green-lit those deals. Likewise, Yankees supporters question what Cole’s physical exams missed after the Bombers convinced him not to opt out and walk away from the $144MM left on his deal.

As a former baseball executive, I’ve fielded those same frustrated queries. Forecasting player injury risk involves far more art than science, often leaving teams and fans dissatisfied. I hear these complaints frequently since I live in the NY metro area and contribute to SNY’s weeknight show, Baseball Night in New York.

There’s rarely a satisfying answer because the assessment process is highly imperfect. Every veteran pitcher has wear and tear if you look hard enough. Acute injuries occur after the fact. Let’s examine how it typically works, its key flaws, and some ways it could be improved."

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/03/millions-medicals-and-maybes-the-maddening-art-of-assessing-player-health.html

Edited Tuesday at 12:39 PM by caulfield12

[caulfield12]

"Presumably, the Yankees will consider their options to upgrade their rotation externally. Available free agents include Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn, and Spencer Turnbull, although none of those names offer anything close to the star power the Yankees lost. Thus, if GM Brian Cashman wants to find a top-of-the-rotation replacement for Cole, he’ll have to turn to the trade market. Some of the most interesting potential trade candidates include Sandy Alcantara of the Marlins, Luis Castillo of the Mariners, and Dylan Cease (more likely due to Scott Boras representation, higher perceived value) and Michael King (likelier to extend?) of the Padres. The most recent reporting on all of those pitchers suggests that an offseason trade is unlikely, but a desperate Yankees team could certainly change that."

mlbtraderumors.com

Alcantara would cost them a lot more than Jasson "The Martian" Dominguez.

[caulfield12]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/44193839/mlb-2025-rate-losing-top-starting-pitchers-injuries-research-study-10-takeaways

 

"This recent spate of injuries to high-profile pitchers has brought renewed attention to pitcher health," the report stated. "But these events are unfortunately just a continuation of a long-term trend. In fact, injuries sustained by pitchers in professional and amateur baseball have increased substantially over the past several decades."

Indeed, the report identified 104 major and minor league pitchers who underwent UCL surgeries in 2010; in 2024, the total had soared to 281 (including 41 major leagues.

Edited 5 hours ago by caulfield12