The New York Yankees are expected to be without Gerrit Cole to start the season, and as spring training begins, Aaron Boone provided an update on where he is in his recovery.
Cole had Tommy John surgery last spring and missed the entire season. The expectation was that he would be unavailable to start the season, and that remains true. However, Boone noted that he could potentially see game action late in spring training.
“He’s thrown a number of pens already, in California,” Boone told reporters in a clip posted by SNY. “I think he’s scheduled to begin lives in a couple weeks, and then could potentially even get into some game action by the end of the spring.”
The sooner the Yankees get Cole back, the better. He is one of the best pitchers in baseball. He is a six-time All-Star, two-time ERA champion and a Cy Young Award winner. He won the American League Cy Young Award in 2023, and getting him back will be a major addition to the rotation.
Last season, the Yankees saw 15 starts from Marcus Stroman and Carlos Carrasco, who both struggled. This season, they figure to have Luis Gil and Cam Sclittler from the jump and will be getting Cole and Carlos Rodón back at some point. Despite not making any major external additions, their rotation figures to be much better than last season.
More MLB: How Yankees Starting Rotation Could Look With Key Members Injured