what happened to gerrit cole

Gerrit Cole is currently working his way back from major elbow surgery (a form of Tommy John/brace procedure) that cost him the entire 2025 season, and he is not expected to be ready for Opening Day 2026.

Quick Scoop: What happened?

• Cole underwent significant elbow surgery in early 2025, which sidelined him for the whole 2025 MLB season.

• His rehab is ongoing, and current expectations from team officials and media are that he will return sometime around late May to early June 2026, not at the very start of the season.

• Because of his age (mid‑30s) and the seriousness of the procedure, there is some concern he may initially return with reduced velocity or command, meaning the Yankees might not get “peak ace” performance right away.

Latest news and timeline

• Team and media reports indicate that internal timelines now circle roughly June 1, 2026 as a realistic target for his full return to the Yankees’ rotation.

• Commentators have noted that while he should pitch in 2026, the early part of the season may feel like an extended rehab phase rather than a normal Cy-Young-level campaign.

• Off the field, he has stayed visible with brand partnerships and media appearances while rehabbing, keeping his profile high even while not pitching.

Forum / fan discussion vibes

• Fans and analysts are split between optimism (his past dominance and modern surgery outcomes) and worry (age, mileage, and the risk he returns more like a mid-rotation arm at a huge salary).

• In late 2024, before the surgery, fans were still sharing clips of him pumping high‑90s fastballs and showing ace stuff, which fuels hope that, once fully healthy, he can get close to that level again.

How this affects the Yankees in 2026

• The Yankees built their 2026 rotation assuming they will be without Cole for the first chunk of the season, forcing them to patch innings with other starters or external additions.

• If he comes back closer to his old form by mid‑season, he could dramatically change their ceiling from “playoff hopeful” to true contender down the stretch.

TL;DR: Gerrit Cole “disappeared” from box scores because elbow surgery knocked him out for all of 2025, and he’s now targeting a delayed 2026 return (around late May–June), with some uncertainty about how dominant he’ll be at first.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.