Gerrit Cole completed a major milestone in his recovery from Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, pitching in his first live-action game and making his Grapefruit League debut. He pitched a single inning, tossing 10 pitches in a breezy outing that saw him touch the high 90s in velocity on his fastball. With the team committed to running back most of the 2025 team that wound up winning 94 games but got bounced in the ALDS, the few new faces that will appear need to really count for them, and Cole’s is the biggest one.
The team’s defacto ace since signing the then-largest contract for a pitcher in free agent history in 2019, Cole’s shown the team exactly why they need him out on the mound. He’s been a perennial Cy Young candidate in pinstripes and won the award in 2023, anchored the staff in their run to the World Series in 2024, and provided a wealth of knowledge to the rest of the pitching staff. He was also sorely missed for a good portion of that 2024 season as he started on the IL, missed the entirety of last year to the aforementioned Tommy John, and likely pitched through an injury in 2021 that led to the team flaming out in the Wild Card.
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Health is always the predominant factor when it comes to pitchers, who carry more risk in their arms than any other ballplayer. And the risk never fades away after the injury is over — some careers never return to the trajectory they were on as players are forced to adjust to prevent repeat injury, or simply lose some of the velocity they relied on when they return. Thus far Cole hasn’t displayed those concerns, and from quotes throughout spring looks unburdened and free to flash some of the vintage heaters he dominated the league with. But with the journey back to the mound still not complete, as Cole will likely still be sidelined from regular season action until late May or early June, what can the Yankees expect when they do finally slot him back into the rotation?
His ’24 campaign, as alluded to, was delayed by injury and forced him to sit out for a similar timeline to the one he’s facing now. His results remained strong, tossing 95 innings and sustaining a sub-3.50 ERA while he dealt with a little more traffic on the bases than he normally allowed. If that’s the baseline for what the Yankees can expect in the regular season, Cole will still be a solid addition but will need to be more than that come October if the Yankees want to go farther than they did with this team last year. However, that year Cole’s issues could’ve required Tommy John and he managed to stave it off, while this most recent issue forced him to go under the knife and resolve the issue for good. If Cole’s got access to more life on his reconstructed elbow, there’s room to hope that he turns the clock back to that marvelous 2023 form, one that would instantly push the Yankees near the top of any “best rotation in baseball” conversation. It’s anyone’s guess what spring training form will translate to, but in Cole’s case his form deserves a bit more examination than anyone else in camp, and the signs have been only positive thus far.
Today on the site, Kento leads off with a look at why Austin Wells needs to stay the course in his pursuit of offensive results, followed by a double dose of Matt first examining Ben Hess’ potential contributions this season before covering Fritz Brickell’s short time in New York celebrating the life that was unfortunately taken too soon. Andrés recaps all of the production from Yankees contributors in the World Baseball Classic, and later in the afternoon Peter previews the Los Angeles Dodgers and their stranglehold over the preseason predictions.
Today’s Matchups
New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles | Blue Jays (split squad)
Time: 1:05 p.m. EST
Video: YES, Gotham Sports App, ESPN Unlimited |Gotham Sports App, Sportsnet
Venue: George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, FL | TD Ballpark, Dunedin, FL
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