Report: Yankees ace Cole recommended to have Tommy John surgery

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole has been recommended to have Tommy John surgery, according to The Athletic's Jim Bowden.

The team is waiting for a second opinion to confirm treatment options on the righty's sore right elbow.

Cole, 34, has pitched six innings in two starts this spring. In his last outing on Thursday, he surrendered six runs on five hits, including two home runs, across 2⅔ innings against the Minnesota Twins.

A year ago, the ace reported to spring training fresh off winning his first Cy Young Award. By mid-March, the six-time All-Star was shut down because of elbow discomfort. He was later diagnosed with nerve irritation and edema. He avoided surgery and made his season debut June 19.

Cole pitched his way into form, absorbing some bumpy outings, and remained healthy through the World Series. He finished the regular season with a 3.41 ERA in 95 innings over 17 starts before tallying a 2.17 ERA across five postseason outings.

Three days after the World Series, Cole decided to opt out of his contract, which pushed the Yankees to make a choice: let him reach free agency or void the opt-out by adding another year at $36 million to the four years and $144 million left on his deal. The club chose not to extend the contract, but Cole did not become a free agent. Instead, two days after opting out, Cole decided to remain with the Yankees on his original contract.

With that behind him, Cole modified his offseason throwing program, choosing to start his regimen earlier than in the past after sustaining his first arm injury in nearly eight years.

"I'm in a really good spot [compared] to years past and probably slightly ahead of where we were last year," Cole said at the start of spring training last month.

But the scheduled tests indicate there is some concern regarding Cole's elbow, adding to a growing list of notable setbacks in Yankees camp. The team is already expected to be without designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (elbows), reigning American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil (lat), third baseman DJ LeMahieu (calf), and right-handers Clayton Beeter (shoulder) and JT Brubaker (ribs) for the start of the season.

The Yankees' rotation depth has already taken a hit with Gil's injury, which is expected to sideline him for at least three months. The setback moved Marcus Stroman into the Yankees' projected rotation. Beyond Stroman, rotation options in camp include Will Warren and Carlos Carrasco, who is with the club as a non-roster invitee.

Since joining the Yankees on a nine-year, $324 million deal ahead of the 2020 campaign, Cole has finished in the top 10 in Cy Young voting every season except for last year, when he made only 17 starts due to the elbow problems.

He has an earned-run average of 3.18 across 317 career MLB starts with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros and Yankees, with 2,251 strikeouts over 1,954.0 innings pitched. Cole is a six-time All-Star and has won the ERA title twice in his 12-year career.