Gerrit

Cole

It’s happening. Cole looked sharp in a handful of abbreviated spring training outings and will make his first rehab start later this week in the upper minors, according to Yankees manager Aaron Boone. The 35-year-old former fantasy ace is working his way back from last year’s Tommy John surgery and figures to be ready to make his season debut at some point in mid-to-late May.

Cole’s next step will either be another live batting practice session or starting his minor league rehab assignment. The 35-year-old former fantasy ace remains on track to return to New York’s rotation for his season debut at some point in late May.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Cole completed another throwing session on Monday without any issues and will face hitters again later this week. The 35-year-old former fantasy ace is creeping closer towards kicking off a minor league rehab assignment and remains on track to rejoin New York’s rotation at some point in late May.

Cole looked extremely sharp in a handful of abbreviated late-spring starts and will continue ramping up his throwing program in the coming weeks. The 35-year-old former fantasy ace figures to be cleared for a minor league rehab assignment at some point in April and seems to be on track to make his season debut by the end of May.

This is another procedural move from the Yankees before Opening Day, though it’s obviously a good sign he’s on the 15-day IL as opposed to the 60-day IL. Cole looked good in his last start, and is still on track to return to the Yankees rotation by May.

It was extremely encouraging to see Cole wrap up spring training by averaging a sizzling 96.3 mph on his fastball, especially since it was a 91-degree afternoon in the Arizona desert. A solo homer by Alex Bregman accounted for all of the damage against him. The 35-year-old veteran fantasy ace will continue building up his pitch count and stamina on a minor league rehab assignment before making his return from Tommy John surgery at some point in late April or early May. He appears to have been undervalued in early-spring drafts based on how his stuff has looked in game action recently.

Cole topped out at 98.7 mph and averaged 97.1 mph with his four fastballs, which is 1.2 mph better than when he was last seen in 2024. His average fastball velocity peaked at 97.8 mph in 2022. His two curves and two sliders were up about 1.5 mph from 2024. So, it doesn’t look like arm strength is going to be an issue here. The Yankees have maintained that they see Cole returning in late May or June, but it’s not going to be easy holding him back for that long. He’s being underdrafted in fantasy leagues right now.

This is a great sign for Cole’s chances of coming back sooner rather than later, but the Yankees will likely be cautious with him and he will need to build up to be ready to pitch in the majors. Still, a late April or early May return sounds like what this is trending towards barring a setback.

The right-hander mixed in breaking balls during this session and his fastball topped out at 97.5 mph. He continues to make progress in his recovery, and the likelihood continues to increase that we see him back on a big league mound before the end of May. The better that he looks throughout the spring, the higher his draft cost is going to get.

It’s another important step for Cole as he continues in his recovery. The 35-year-old hurler is slated to work one inning in a simulated game. He actually sounds like he’s a bit ahead of schedule in his recovery and there has been talk that Cole could get into Grapefruit League games before spring training is through. As long as he avoids any setbacks, he could be ready to rejoin the Yankees’ rotation before the end of May.