Yankees' Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole Begin Throwing Programs Amid Injury Rehabs

A pair of New York Yankees stars began throwing programs on Monday as they look to work their way back from injuries.

Star ace Gerrit Cole, who is out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, made 20 throws off of flat ground to start his throwing program, per the Daily News' Gary Phillips.

Aaron Judge, who is working his way back to 100 percent after an elbow injury, also started his throwing program on Monday.

Cole underwent surgery in March after making a pair of spring training starts. He said in May that he was planning for a 14-month recovery that would put him back on the mound in mid-May of next year, though that isn't a hard deadline.

"The only thought I've given to 2026 is just to try to execute the first eight weeks so far of this rehab," Cole told reporters. "Like you're growing bone and stuff so it's been important to get good sleep and eat well and progress through the rehab.

"I hope it comes back maybe like a fresh new set of tires. That's best hope. Just a pit stop that took a little longer than we had hoped for. But I really don't know. Who's to say? People are fairly confident. I'm a bit pragmatic, though."

Cole, the AL Cy Young Award winner in 2023, went 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP last season.

Judge landed on the injured list at the end of July after being diagnosed with a flexor strain, but he avoided a major injury since his UCL was still intact. Judge returned to action on Aug. 5, serving as designated hitter rather than his usual position in right field.

Judge said last week that he "felt good" throwing the ball.

"Felt good. Normal throwing," he said, per Greg Joyce of the New York Post. "It's obviously sore. You got a flexor strain, it's like [hamstring]—you run for the first time on a hammy, it's going to be sore. But it didn't feel like what it did when I hurt it."

Though Judge is currently limited in what he can do on defense, his offense is more than enough for the Yankees. He has an MLB-best .337 batting average this season, also collecting the fourth-most homers (37) and the seventh-most RBI (86).

Despite another MVP-caliber season from Judge, the Yankees have struggled as of late, losing seven of their last nine games and barely holding onto the final wild card spot.