Mar 24, 2026; Mesa, Arizona, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole against the Chicago Cubs during spring training at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Those footsteps Yankees fans are hearing belong to their former Cy Young Award winner, Gerrit Cole.
The right-handed ace will officially begin his rehab assignment on Friday with Double-A Somerset, as his return from a near-14-month absence after undergoing Tommy John surgery last March is nearing its end.
The 35-year-old recently threw 42 pitches over three simulated innings in Hudson Valley on Sunday. After feeling satisfied with his stuff and, more importantly, feeling OK in the following days, he threw a side session on Wednesday before the Yankees made the call to send him to Somerset.
“I have no complaints,” Cole said earlier this week. “Stamina was good, pitches are fine. They’re good. I’m being a little nitpicky, but everything’s good.”
This is not to suggest that his return will be immediate. Cole will have to get through a number of rehab starts and properly build up to a full starter’s workload before getting the green light to get back to the majors. He is projected to throw 45 pitches on Friday.
Because a pitcher’s rehab assignment cannot last more than 30 days, though, there is hope that he will be able to make his 2026 season debut in mid-May.
This will be the first time that the Yankees will have their star fully healthy in nearly two years. Cole was limited to just 17 starts in 2024, one year after his AL Cy Young Award win, because of a nerve issue in his elbow. The following spring training, he tore his UCL just weeks before the start of the 2025 season.
New York’s rotation is also without Carlos Rodon as he continues his rehab from offseason elbow surgery. The southpaw is expected to throw a live batting practice session on Saturday, but there are no plans for a rehab assignment yet.
The brilliance of Cam Schlittler and Max Fried has paved the way for the Yankees’ rotation to succeed in the early portions of this season without Cole or Rodon. Their starters have combined for a 3.12 ERA entering Thursday’s series finale against the Los Angeles Angels, which ranks fourth-best in Major League Baseball.
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