Gerrit Cole’s road back to the mound is still unfolding, but the Yankees’ ace is inching closer to a return. After missing the entire 2025 season due to an elbow injury suffered during spring training - one that ultimately required Tommy John surgery - Cole remains sidelined as the 2026 campaign approaches. The reigning 2024 American League Cy Young Award winner is still in rehab mode, but there’s finally a clearer timeline for his return.
Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman recently offered an encouraging update, saying Cole is expected to pitch in a major league game by early June. That’s a big step for a rotation that’s been holding the line without its anchor. Cashman also noted that Cole’s rehab, along with that of fellow starter Carlos Rodón, is progressing smoothly - though the organization is being careful not to rush either pitcher back.
“So far, so good,” Cashman said in a recent interview. “Carlos is here in Tampa.
I think Gerrit will be joining sooner than later as well. No problems so far, no surprises so far in their rehab protocols.”
The Yankees are taking a cautious, measured approach - and for good reason. Both Cole and Rodón are high-octane competitors, the kind of players who always want to push the limits. That’s why the medical staff is playing defense, making sure the two don’t get ahead of themselves in the recovery process.
“You’re dealing with these alpha dogs that are ready to conquer the world at all times,” Cashman said. “Our medical team and rehab staff and the doctors involved-that’s part of their process, too-are making sure that every step in this process gets hit first.
When guys feel so good, they want to jump a few steps ahead of time. They’re doing great so far.”
While Cole was sidelined, Rodón took full advantage of the spotlight. The left-hander delivered his best season in pinstripes since arriving in 2023, making 33 starts and logging 195.1 innings - both career highs.
He finished the year with an 18-9 record, a 3.09 ERA, and 203 strikeouts, good enough for a sixth-place finish in the AL Cy Young voting. His 4.6 bWAR underscored just how vital he was to the Yankees’ success in Cole’s absence.
Rodón’s bounce-back year helped stabilize a rotation that could’ve easily unraveled without its ace. And now, with Cole on track to return midseason, the Yankees could soon have a formidable one-two punch leading their staff - assuming both stay on track health-wise.
Off the field, though, the Yankees’ offseason has raised a few eyebrows. Known for their aggressive approach to free agency and the trade market, the Bronx Bombers have been relatively quiet this winter. That hasn’t gone unnoticed.
YES Network announcer Michael Kay didn’t mince words when reacting to GM Brian Cashman’s assertion that the Yankees have a “new team” heading into 2026. Kay pushed back on that claim, pointing out that the roster looks awfully familiar.
“You are running it back,” Kay said on his radio show. “So rather than fight the words, you are running it back.
The answer should be, ‘We’re bringing back the same team because we think that team is great. We think that team, under the right circumstances, would be able to beat anybody and get to the World Series.’
That’s the answer.”
To be fair, the Yankees did make a couple of key moves. They re-signed Cody Bellinger, their top target of the offseason, and added Max Fried to bolster the rotation.
Those are meaningful additions. But beyond that, the front office has mostly opted for continuity - betting that a team that reached the World Series in 2024 and returned to the postseason last year still has enough firepower to make another deep run.
Of course, the loss of Juan Soto looms large. But with a healthy Rodón, a returning Cole, and the Bellinger-Fried duo in the fold, the Yankees still have the bones of a contender. The question now is whether that continuity - and a bit of good health - will be enough to push them back to the Fall Classic.
Early June can’t come soon enough for the Yankees. Because when Gerrit Cole finally takes the mound again, it won’t just be a return - it could be the spark that reignites their championship chase.