TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Yankees ace Gerrit Cole threw his first bullpen of spring training on Friday, may pitch in exhibition games and is on track to return to regular-season action from May to September.
A 35-year-old right-hander, Cole had Tommy John surgery March 11 with Los Angeles Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
“We’ve had a lot of discussions between myself, the Yankees and Dr. ElAttrache," Cole said. “With a full Tommy John reconstruction surgery, the target’s always between 14 and 18 months so that really hasn’t changed and that’s what the research says."
Yankees manager Aaron Boone won't push for an early return, preferring to have Cole at optimum strength late in the season and October.
“We want to make sure we give him the proper time to make sure he is good and ready to come back, built up in a smart way,” Boone said. “Don’t want to speed things up for the sake of a couple starts at the front end that could affect the overall product."
Cole threw his first bullpen in October following surgery. He pitched at Steinbrenner Field with a beard — the Yankees relaxed their facial hair policy last year.
“It’s been long and tedious, like most people’s experiences. As we get closer to the end, things start to gain a little momentum,” Cole said. "I just kind of am doing exactly what I’ve been told. So when I’m told to push, I push. When I’m told not to, I don’t.”
Thus far, his elbow feels better than it did two years ago.
“It feels really good," he said. “It feels different than it has been in quite some time.”
Boone was pleased.
“Everything looks like it’s coming out free and easy — command. He just looks to be in a really good place,” Boone said. “You know that diver that dives off the high board and just goes in the water and makes like no splash? That’s Gerrit on the mound.”
Cole altered his windup, putting his hands over his head. Before he was hurt, he stopped at his chest.
“It feels good,” he said. “Just throwing on the backfields during the summer and tried it out. I’ve had little idiosyncrasies that have changed over the years from still hands to a drop or hands off of the body, close to the body. I think I generally just like the rhythm of it.”
His last official outing was in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series that Oct. 30. He pitched in two spring training games in 2025, the last on March 6.
"Some silver linings, you get more family time," Cole said. “I miss that outlet of working hard and feeling exhausted every five days.”
Cashman address 'running it back'
After re-signing Paul Goldschmidt to a $4 million, one-year contract on Thursday, the Yankees have 24 of the 26 players from last year's Division Series roster — all but relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, who left as free agents and signed with the Mets.
Left-hander Ryan Weathers, acquired from Miami, appears to be the most significant addition.
“From a macro standpoint, I think we assessed last year’s team as a really good team. I think it played very well. It ultimately fell short,” Cashman said. “In a micro standpoint, when you’re looking at individual decisions that add up to in theory ‘running it back,’ which is the term we’re hearing so much of and understandably so, I think it's more you engage the current marketplace and it’s an acknowledgement: A, I think we had really good players that were great competitors and B, when I started trying to match up in the marketplace via trade or free agent signs, we wound up comfortable with every individual choice of whether it’s retaining, bringing back, reacquiring.”
Without a World Series title since 2009, the Yankees lost to Toronto in last year's Division Series.
“Certainly not apologetic of the team we had last year,” Cashman said. “It was a really strong team. A lot of people, experts in the game expected — not expected but predicted could win a world championship."
New face in camp
Right-hander Rafael Montero agreed to a minor league contract. The 35-year-old was 1-2 with a 4.48 ERA in 59 relief appearances last year for Houston, Atlanta and Detroit.
“There’s some things we really liked that he was doing last year," Boone said. "Maybe some small adjustments we can make to help him and hopefully he can push himself into the mix.”
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