"The Yankees have received a handful of positive reports regarding their injured starting pitchers, most notably for ace Gerrit Cole. The 35-year-old missed all of 2025 while recovering from Tommy John surgery he underwent in March. Cole is scheduled to face hitters "in a couple weeks," manager Aaron Boone told reporters, including Greg Joyce of the New York Post. Boone added that Cole could be back in time to pitch in Spring Training games."
"Cole is less than a year removed from surgery, so Opening Day was never in play for him. The notion that he could appear in spring action is encouraging and could put him on track to only miss the first month of the season. The 60-day IL remains an option, but if there's even a small chance Cole could be back within a couple of months, New York will likely avoid that route."
"After winning the AL Cy Young in 2023, Cole missed the first half of 2024 with elbow inflammation. He returned for 17 starts to close the season. Elbow concerns popped back up heading into last year, and Cole ended up going under the knife. The veteran has three seasons left on the nine-year, $324MM deal he signed with the Yankees in 2019."
Yankees received multiple positive reports on injured starting pitchers, most notably Gerrit Cole. Cole, 35, missed all of 2025 after Tommy John surgery in March and is scheduled to face hitters in a couple weeks with the possibility of appearing in Spring Training games. That timeline could limit his absence to the first month of the season and reduce the likelihood of a 60-day IL stint. Carlos Rodon progressed after loose bodies were removed from his elbow and was seen playing catch with Cole; Rodon could return before the end of April and is likely not far behind the start of the season. Cole has three seasons remaining on his nine-year, $324 million contract.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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