Ryan Garcia
The buzz around Gerrit Cole’s return grows even louder, as the Yankees have slated him as their starter on Tuesday against the Cubs.
Ryan Weathers, who was originally named the starter for that game, will follow Cole after he’s finished with two innings of work in Arizona.
It’s a sign that the right-hander’s health is in a much better place than expected this time of year since the build-up here would indicate that he could get up to around 30 pitches in this outing.
If so, a May return would seem very likely, and one could argue that he might be big-league ready in April, although they’ve repeatedly stated that Cole will follow the 14-18 month rehab window.
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Gerrit Cole Preparing To Take Another Big Step Towards Return to Yankees
After hitting 98.7 MPH on the radar gun and sitting around 97 MPH on Wednesday against the Red Sox at George M. Steinbrenner Field, Gerrit Cole will make another start before the Yankees head to San Francisco.
He’s taking the ball against the Cubs on Tuesday in what is a rather shocking development given that his Tommy John Surgery occurred less than 400 days ago.
Appearing in a second game (albeit in very limited capacity) this early is an indication that his recovery has gone well, and the crispness of his stuff so far has certainly backed that claim up.
Carlos Rodon, who Aaron Boone has stated would return in April, did not appear in a Grapefruit League game and is not expected to pitch in this exhibition series at this point in time.
It is possible that Rodon, who made all 32 of his scheduled starts last season, is less in-need of in-game action and can rely on live bullpens to get himself into shape for a rehab assignment.
Gerrit Cole has not pitched in a game of significance since the 2024 World Series, so facing hitters from other teams could help him sharpen up in ways that facing his own teammates in Tampa cannot.
With all of that said, this cannot be viewed as anythinhg other than an incredible sign for where the former Cy Young Award winner is at health-wise, and if he can return in May firing on all cylinders, this rotation could be elite.
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