This time of year, very little is available,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday, when his ace, Gerrit Cole, was scheduled for Tommy John surgery. “Normally the more significant opportunities don’t exist until the trade deadline.

The Yankees played split-squad games on Tuesday in Tampa against the Orioles and in Bradenton against the Pirates.

When Gerrit Cole left Tampa for a Los Angeles visit with Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday, Brian Cashman said he “fully expected” a Tommy John diagnosis. That came to fruition, with Cole scheduling surgery for Tuesday.