NEW YORK (AFP) — New York Yankees star pitcher Gerrit Cole is to undergo season-ending elbow surgery, the club confirmed on Monday, dealing a massive blow to the Bronx Bombers’ preparations for the upcoming Major League Baseball season.

Cole, who complained of elbow soreness after his most recent pre-season outing last Thursday, had traveled to Los Angeles to receive a second opinion from sports injury expert Dr. Neal El Attrache.

Following that consultation on Monday, the Yankees confirmed that Cole would have Tommy John surgery in California on Tuesday to repair a torn right ulnar collateral ligament.

The Yankees said Cole would miss the entirety of the upcoming 2025 season due to the lengthy recovery and rehabilitation period required following the procedure.

Elbow ligament damage is common among MLB pitchers, a testament to the extraordinary stress and strain placed on the elbow during the process of delivering a pitch.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has already undergone two Tommy John surgeries in his career, and did not pitch at all last season.

Cole, the 2023 American League Cy Young Award-winner is widely regarded as one of the best pitchers in baseball and helped the Yankees reach last season’s World Series, where they lost in five games to the Dodgers.

Speaking to broadcaster Yes Network on Monday during the Yankees’ pre-season game against the Detroit Tigers, New York skipper Aaron Boone described Cole’s injury as “part of the game.”

“Whatever happens, whatever it is, we’re going to support our guy and try to get him right and be there for him,” Boone said before Cole’s diagnosis was confirmed.

“If it is where he does have to go get surgery, hopefully that’s something that serves us well in the long haul, instead of if he’s compromised at all or in a tough situation.”

“The reality is, Gerrit still has a lot of pitching in front of him in his career, and pitching with the Yankees. We want that to be as successful as it’s been already, and we’ll just go from there.”

The Yankees’ pre-season preparations have already been rocked by an injury to another key pillar of their pitching rotation, with Luis Gil expected to miss three months due to a shoulder strain.

Boone put on a brave face about the injury news on Cole, describing it as “not a death sentence for us by any means.”

“It’s an opportunity for someone else,” he said.

The Yankees open their campaign at home against the Milwaukee Brewers on 27 March.