Andres Chavez
The New York Yankees have essentially finalized their 26-man roster ahead of Wednesday’s opener in San Francisco. Ace Gerrit Cole, currently completing his rehab from Tommy John surgery performed last spring, won’t be on it because he is still in the final stages of his recovery. Things, however, are trending in the right direction.
The 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner was slated to pitch a couple of innings on Tuesday’s spring game against the Cubs, and even though he was only able to complete 1.2 frames, it was a positive day for him.
Cole didn’t give away any walks, struck out three, and the only hit he allowed was a solo home run by Alex Bregman with two outs in the first inning.
An Impressive Spring Outing On Tuesday
The veteran righty struck out Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, and Ian Happ, three of the Cubs’ best hitters, in the highly productive afternoon. He totaled 26 pitches in the game, 17 of which were strikes.
It was Cole’s second appearance this spring after tossing a scoreless frame last week against the Boston Red Sox. In addition to the results he has gotten on the mound, the most encouraging development has been his fastball velocity.
Cole touched 98 mph and averaged 96.2 mph, higher than his 2024 mark of 95.9 mph and a bit off his Cy Young average of 96.7 mph. It’s crystal clear that he is healthy and ready to dominate major league hitters consistently, but there is still an item on the agenda to take care of before inserting him back in the Yankees’ rotation: build up stamina.
Cole needs to be able to throw at least 80-90 pitches per start against MLB-caliber hitters and is currently at 26, so he still needs to ramp up and incrementally increase his pitch count. That’s why his return timeline has been scheduled for late April or early May.
Cole Elevates The Yankees Ceiling
Right now, the Yankees have enough depth to give him enough time to slowly build up at his own pace. Beyond the first four starters, the team has Luis Gil waiting for his chance in the minors, and Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn are also ready to start games if need be.
They are all solid alternatives, but a healthy Cole is vastly superior to almost anyone the Yankees have on their roster. This is a guy who posted a 0.71 ERA in 12.2 World Series games in 2024 and a 3.41 ERA in that same regular season after overcoming some elbow issues.
The expectation is that, when he returns, he is ready to return to top form. And that scenario significantly raises the Yankees’ overall ceiling.
More about:New York Yankees
