Gerrit Cole Talks Elbow Injury Rehab, Yankees Star Says He Has 'Fresh Perspective'
Gerrit Cole, who was sidelined for the entire 2025 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery and is working his way toward a 2026 return, opened up about a "fresh perspective" he now has after so much time away from the major league level.
"I just try to keep things in better perspective," the New York Yankees pitcher told reporters Wednesday. "I've become a lot more grateful for the level of competition that the big leagues are and how hard it is to play and how much I miss it.
"I hopefully improved as a father over the last several months being around the kids and spending more time with them. Just a fresh perspective, just grateful. To be playing a sport for a living is a blessing."
Jared Greenspan of MLB.com noted the right-hander threw 60 pitches in Wednesday's rehab start at Double-A Somerset. He allowed three runs and three hits with three strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work.
More importantly, he increased his pitch total after throwing 44 pitches on April 16 and 52 pitches last Thursday.
"I feel good," Cole said. "It's nice to get six ups. It was a good day."
According to Greenspan, the Yankees hope to have Cole back by late May or early June if he continues to progress well in the rehab process. That would mean having one of the best pitchers of his generation available for the stretch run and a potential postseason spot.
Cole's resume includes six All-Star selections, two ERA titles and the 2023 American League Cy Young award when he posted a 2.63 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 222 strikeouts in 209 innings.
He led the league in ERA, games started (33), complete-game shutouts (two), innings, WHIP and wins above replacement (7.4) that season, per Baseball Reference.
It may not be realistic to expect that version of Cole when the 35-year-old returns, but he can provide a spark for a team that is already positioned to make a deep playoff run.
New York is 20-11 and sitting in first place in the American League East without Cole and figures to be even better when he does return to the rotation.
