TAMPA — The dreaded has become the reality.

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Gerrit Cole will not throw a pitch in 2025 for a Yankees team that has been dealt a monumental blow.

The ace received the news that was feared from player, club and fan base: He will need Tommy John surgery.

The Yankees announced the determination Monday, after Cole flew to Los Angeles to receive a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache.

ElAttrache will perform the surgery Tuesday.

In a statement on social media, Cole said his goal of helping to bring a World Series to New York remains.

“This isn’t the news any athlete wants to hear, but it’s the necessary next step for my career,” wrote Cole, whose visit to ElAttrache last March went better.

After one Grapefruit League start last spring, Cole’s elbow bothered him before he eventually received a diagnosis of nerve inflammation and edema, which called for rest and rehabilitation.

Cole lasted two Grapefruit League starts this spring before the same elbow grew “alarming,” Cole said.

The righty was knocked around in an outing Thursday, felt the hinge grow progressively more sore and knew “something wasn’t right.”

It is difficult to overstate what the loss of Cole means to the player and his Yankees future.

The six-time All-Star is on a Hall of Fame trajectory and has been an outlier in a sport in which pitchers of all qualities drop every season.

Even with the saga last spring that pushed Cole’s season debut to mid-June, only Aaron Nola has thrown more innings since 2017.

After his opt-out drama this winter — in which the Yankees declined to attach an extra season to his pact and Cole then withdrew his decision to opt out — Cole is owed $144 million for the final four years of his contract, one of which is finished before it began.

Presuming a 2026 return, Cole would be 35 and hoping to be the same pitcher on the other side of the operating table.

“I have a lot left to give, and I’m fully committed to the work ahead,” Cole wrote. “I’ll attack my rehab every day and support the 2025 Yankees each step of the way. I love this game, I love competing, and I can’t wait to be back on the mound — stronger than ever.

“See you soon.”

The news came as both gut-wrenching and expected.

“We all understand who he is to our team and how important he is to our club,” manager Aaron Boone said before the official announcement. “But unfortunately, sometimes it’s part of the game. We missed him for the first couple months last year this time of year, and it created opportunities that guys stepped up in.”

It is also difficult to overstate what the loss of Cole means for a club that just won a pennant and has World Series aspirations.

Free agent addition Max Fried becomes the de facto ace.

Because of Cole’s elbow and Luis Gil’s lat, Marcus Stroman has gone from a trade candidate to the fourth starter.

Prospect Will Warren and veteran Carlos Carrasco are competing for No. 5.

“It doesn’t change the expectation of the group and the mood of the group,” Boone said.

After an injury-abbreviated but still generally encouraging ’24 from Cole, the Yankees ordered an MRI exam on his arm after the season and felt it was “in a really good spot,” Boone said.

They prescribed a different throwing routine this offseason after Cole thought his buildup was too hasty last year, and Cole began throwing in November — earlier than usual.

Still, a pitcher who is nearing 2,000 career innings and never had succumbed to Tommy John might have maxed out his odometer.

“You can do all the steps right, and obviously Gerrit’s as diligent as they come and methodical with everything that he does,” Boone said. “… We felt like we’re in a good spot, but you also understand the history of the last year and a guy that’s pitched a lot in this league.”

On Sunday, GM Brian Cashman said he was “prepared for the worst.”

It was unclear whether Cashman was busy preparing for the worst, and whether that would mean making phone calls to, say, the Padres for Dylan Cease or maybe the Marlins for Sandy Alcántara.

The Yankees consistently have said they are happy with the depth of their rotation and the starters who could step up.

Those arms will be tested immediately after the Yankees notched their largest loss of the season before the season even arrived.