GERRIT COLE is set to avoid Tommy John surgery as the new MLB season fast approaches.
The Cy Young award winner is still expected to be a key player for the New York Yankees in the 2024 season.
Star pitcher Cole went to see doctors on Thursday, with initial reports after that meeting suggesting he will not need to have major surgery.
Instead the prognosis for his troubled right elbow is far more heartening for the Yankees and their worldwide fan base.
Cole is expected to need some non-surgical treatments, plus a period of rehab, but is unlikely to miss any more than two months of the new season, per the New York Post.
Alarm bells were rung in New York when Cole underwent an MRI exam on Monday after a three-inning, 37-pitch live batting practice session last week.
A CT scan and X-rays followed for the player, along with more tests.
Cole then flew off to see one of the world’s best-known sports orthopedic surgeons, Dr. Neal ElAttrache amid concern over his ulnar collateral ligament.
But it seems that sighs of relief all round are now the order of the day at Yankee Stadium.
They will hope that Cole can return to the mound by the middle or end of May, with plenty of the season left to unfold.
Cole, 33, started his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, before moving to the Houston Astros.
He joined the Yankees in 2020, signing a nine-year, $324 million contract, and has been a major part of their operation since.
Cole has logged at least 30 starts in each of the past six 162-game seasons.
“Gerrit has been the cornerstone of durability for a starting pitcher,” Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon said.
The Yankees finished the 2023 season with an 82-80 record.
They ended in fourth place in the American League East.