BIRMINGHAM, AL JANUARY 24: Riley Minix #22 of the Cleveland Charge drives to the basket during the game against the Birmingham Squadron on January 24, 2026 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, AL. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the GettyImages License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Mercedes Oliver/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers filled their last roster spot when they added Nae’Qwan Tomlin to a standard contract. Now, they’ve found someone for their final two-way spot. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, that slot is going to Riley Minix.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Riley Minix have agreed to a two-way deal, league sources told @hoopshype. Minix has averaged 17.5 points on 51.2% from the field and 42.6% from 3-point range in the G League this season. Minix previously was a two-way player for the San Antonio Spurs. pic.twitter.com/F6IsLm2GDo
Minix went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft. He was invited to training camp with the San Antonio Spurs and ended up making the team on a two-way deal. He played just one game with the Spurs in his rookie season and spent most of his time with their G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs.
Minix started this season on a two-way contract as well, but was waived on Dec. 12. Overall, he played just four NBA games with San Antonio over two seasons.
On Jan. 13, the Cleveland Charge — G League affiliate of the Cavs — acquired his returning player rights from the Austin Spurs. He’s appeared in 12 games with the Charge since.
On the season, the 6’7”, 25-year-old forward has averaged 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on .512/.426/.767 shooting splits in the G League.
The three-point shot is the obvious weapon for Minix. Last season, he connected on 41.4% of his three-point looks with Austin on 7.4 threes per contest. If he’s going to make a lasting impact in the NBA, presumably, it will be because of the outside shot.
Minix has had an unconventional journey to professional basketball. He played four collegiate seasons at Southeastern University, a smaller school that competes in the NAIA. After having the advantage of the COVID season, he played one season at Morehead State, averaging 20.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
Minnix joins Tristian Enaruna and Emanuel Miller on two-way deals with the Cavs.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Shohei Ohtani is a five-time All-Star, a four-time Most Valuable Player, a two-time World Series winner and a World Baseball Classic champion, giving him a sparkling baseball resume that no current player can touch.
The only major honor he hasn’t won? A Cy Young Award.
Given his track record, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the two-way Japanese star add that trophy to his collection in 2026.
“I think it’s fair to say he expects to be in the Cy Young conversation,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday. “We just want him to be healthy, make starts, and all the numbers and statistics will take care of themselves.
“But, man, this guy is such a disciplined worker and expects the most from himself.”
Just 105 days after the Dodgers became MLB’s first back-to-back champs in a quarter century — beating the Toronto Blue Jays in a thrilling Game 7 — Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the rest of the team’s pitchers and catchers went through their first spring training workout at Camelback Ranch on Friday.
Ohtani is expecting to be a full-time, two-way player for the first time since 2023. An elbow injury kept him off the mound for the 2024 season and he returned to pitching midway though last year, going 3-0 with a 4.43 ERA in the postseason to help the Dodgers capture their second straight World Series title.
Roberts said an injury-free offseason — where he could focus on rest, recovery and strength — should make him even more formidable on the mound this season.
“He just looks strong, but not too much mass,” Roberts said. “Watching him throw, watching him run, his body is moving well. I think he’s in a sweet spot.”
The 31-year-old Ohtani munched on breakfast and laughed with teammates in the clubhouse before his bullpen session, fully comfortable in what are now familiar surroundings. He’s entering his third season with the franchise that has helped him blossom into the biggest baseball phenomenon in decades.
“I was finally able to have a normal offseason,” Ohtani said. “Although the offseason was pretty short, I thought it was a good thing.”
Ohtani said he arrived at Camelback Ranch at the beginning of the month and Friday’s bullpen — which he said went well — was his third of the spring. The goal is to throw live batting practice next week before he leaves to join Team Japan in Tokyo, where it will be playing in the World Baseball Classic.
He won’t be pitching for Japan in the WBC — focusing solely on his work at the plate.
Roberts said keeping Ohtani off the mound in the WBC was a collaborative decision that focused on his long-term health.
“As much as people think that he’s not human, he’s still a human being who has had two major surgeries,” Roberts said. “He’s got a long career ahead of him.”
The timeline and schedule of the WBC — Team Japan could be playing from March 6-17 on two different continents — makes Ohtani’s preparation for the Dodgers’ opening day game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 26 a challenge. Neither Roberts or Ohtani were sure what his throwing schedule would look like in Japan.
Roberts said he’s sure Ohtani will want to be ready to pitch at the beginning of the season, but the team would be flexible.
“It’s delicate,” Roberts said. “We’ll know more in the next couple weeks and see where the progression is at. But for us, there’s not going to be any timeline or endline or finish line where he has to be ready.”
The Dodgers enter the season as World Series favorites. They were big spenders on the free agent market once again, landing four-time All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker on a $240 million, four-year deal that further exacerbated the divide between baseball’s haves and have nots. Los Angeles also nabbed star reliever Edwin Díaz on a $69 million, three-year deal.
Díaz also threw a bullpen on Friday. He had a 1.63 ERA and 28 saves for the New York Mets last season.
“Guys are anxious,” Roberts said. “We’ve got a long camp, longer than we’ve had in recent years. We’re trying to get guys to start slow and be intentional and methodical. That’s kind of the message.”
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 09: Zac Gallen #23 of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitches against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at Oracle Park on September 09, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As first reported by Steve Gilbert, Zac Gallen is returning to the D-backs on a one-year deal. The amount involved is $22 million, which is basically the same amount as the qualifying offer Gallen declined at the start of the winter. However, Ken Rosenthal reports that approximately $14 million of that is deferred. It’s a stunning turnaround for both Gallen and the team. Zac was looking for a big payday, and MLB Trade Rumors projected a four year, $80 million contract for him. But coming off a poor year, with an 89 ERA+, the market for his services simply dried up.
For the Diamondbacks, even allowing for the deferred amount, this commits the team, one way or another, to more money that was expected to be available. The general belief was that Arizona would be looking to cut costs this winter, the team reportedly having run at a loss last year. But it looks like the payroll is going to be close to what it was in 2025. It also leaves the team with six starters, Gallen joining Merrill Kelly, Ryne Nelson, Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodriguez and Michael Soroka. It’s going to be very interesting to see how the team opts to fit all those pieces into their roster.
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 9: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Isaiah Hartenstein #55 of the Oklahoma City Thunder boxes out during the game on February 9, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Lakers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
While the Lakers were buyers at the trade deadline, they did more window shopping than anything else.
The counterargument Lakers President of Basketball Operations made that LA was aggressive by saying no to trades didn’t exactly help his case or ease frustrations with the fanbase either.
So while waiting for the summer, when a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo could become available might be the best move, it doesn’t mean fans will be happy with the current state of the purple and gold.
The only hope fans have now is that the Lakers’ roster can return from the All-Star break healthy.
The trio of LeBron, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves has only played 10 games together. So, if they will all be available the rest of the way, perhaps that will be enough to pull off a surprise run like LA did in 2023, when they made it to the Western Conference Finals.
Knueppel is averaging 18.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in 53 games played for Charlotte. He will play for Team T-Mac. Edgecombe has averaged 14.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 49 games played for Philly. He’ll play for Team Vince.
Gerrit Cole throws a pitch during his bullpen for the Yankees on Feb. 13.
TAMPA — He is 35 now, another year older, with some more facial hair, a slightly different windup and a surgically reconstructed ulnar collateral ligament.
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But Gerrit Cole stepped onto the bullpen mound Friday morning at Steinbrenner Field and, as much as one can over the course of two simulated innings without any hitters in the box, looked like Gerrit Cole.
There is still a long way to go — in a best-case scenario, three months, with more hurdles to clear along the way — before Cole might take the mound in a big league game.
But just over 11 months removed from undergoing Tommy John surgery and having the entirety of his 2025 season wiped out, the former AL Cy Young award winner gave the Yankees a tantalizing reminder of what could be waiting for them later this year.
Gerrit Cole throws a pitch during his bullpen for the Yankees on Feb. 13. Charles Wenzelberg
“He looked like a Cy Young pitcher,” catcher Austin Wells said. “He looked smooth and in control. Looked confident in his ability.”
Of course, it was just a bullpen session in February, one that checked another box on the way to potentially facing hitters in another week or two and possibly getting into a Grapefruit League game before camp ends.
In his conversations with the Yankees and the surgeon who repaired his elbow, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the target return date has always been 14-18 months, Cole said, and that remains on track.
He had the surgery last March 11, so 14 months would be May 11.
And exactly what version of Cole the Yankees get once he does return to game action remains to be seen.
For some pitchers coming back from Tommy John, it takes a full season to get their stuff back and feel like themselves.
For others, it comes quicker.
Cole knows this and is not getting ahead of himself for what to expect this season.
But to this point, every step of the rehab process that he described as “long and tedious” has gone well, giving him and the Yankees hope that there is some light at the end of the tunnel inching closer.
Gerrit Cole prepares to throw a pitch during his Feb. 13 bullpen. Charles Wenzelberg
“I’m a confident guy. I have high expectations for my execution internally,” Cole said. “But overall, in terms of performance and expectations, I don’t really have any set goals or numbers or things like that. It’s been working really well to just stay day to day and execute the task at hand. So I think the challenge is to continue to do that as things become more exciting and things start to get rolling more and more.”
In his throwing session Friday, Cole’s fastball hit 94-96 mph, the pop of Wells’ glove ringing throughout the bullpen with a crowd of interested Yankees personnel watching.
At this point in the rehab process, Cole acknowledged that it is important for him to pay close attention to the velocity, making sure he is staying within the suggested ranges to “load the new [elbow] tissue strategically.”
Gerrit Cole watches from the Yankees dugout during their Sept. 23 game. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
“When I’m told to push, I push,” he said. “When I’m told not to, I don’t. I really haven’t deviated hardly at all from our targets.”
Along those lines, the Yankees will not push Cole back too soon, regardless of how encouraged they may be at each next step.
There is no sense in bringing him back quickly just to have him pitch in early-season games at the expense of having him available later in the year when the stakes are higher.
“We want to make sure we give him the proper time to make sure he is good and ready to come back, built up in a smart way,” manager Aaron Boone said. “So we won’t rush that with him, even if it continues to go incredibly well.”
Cole, too, expressed a cautious optimism about how he was feeling.
His old elbow got him 2,000-plus innings in the big leagues, and the new one is feeling “different than it has been in quite some time,” he said.
Whether that could mean throwing harder when he returns, Cole pumped the brakes and said with a smile, “We’ll see.”
More than anything, Cole just seemed to be longing for things to get back to normal, for the day when he can finally rejoin what has the potential to be a high-end rotation with him a key part of it.
“I just miss playing,” he said. “I miss that outlet of working hard and feeling exhausted every five days.”
Feb 11, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) drives to the basket beside Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington (7) in the third quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cavaliers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Things change quickly in the NBA. Fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers know that better than anyone else. This past trade deadline came with many changes, from small moves like salary dumping Lonzo Ball to seismic changes like swapping Darius Garland for 11-time All-Star James Harden.
In our last fan survey, we focused on that big move.
Forgive the typo on our graphic. I didn’t want to bother our team with changing this on short notice. But we asked Cavs fans (not Rockets fans) to grade the Harden trade. Here are the results:
Roughly two-thirds of Cavs fans gave this move an A. Only 1% of fans gave it below a C, and zero fans thought this was an F.
We should clarify that the survey was held this week. So this isn’t an immediate reaction to the Harden trade. Seeing three straight wins with Harden dishing the ball has certainly raised our opinions of the deal.
For our second question, we wanted to know if this move raised Cleveland’s ceiling. To no surprise, the fans again showed that they are all-in on the beard.
A whopping 96% of Cavs fans believe their ceiling is higher now with Harden. That’s probably the highest percentage we’ve had on a survey yet. I can’t necessarily blame them. The Cavs have won five straight and hold the best record in the NBA since December 29th.
FanDuel has Cleveland with the sixth-highest odds to win the NBA Finals. They rank third in the East, behind the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons. I’d expect those numbers to improve if the Cavs keep rolling after the All-Star Break.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 31: VJ Edgecombe #77 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans on January 31, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
All-Star Weekend gets underway at the Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers, on Friday night! After the celebrity game tips off at 7 p.m. on ESPN, which I cannot fathom anyone on planet Earth caring about, the Rising Stars Challenge begins at 9 p.m. and streams on Peacock!
For clarity’s sake, the Rising Stars Challenge will once again feature four teams playing in a three-game tournament. It’ll feature three teams of young NBA talent and a team of G-League players going against one another. The Sixers’ own VJ Edgecombe will be on “Team Vince,” coached by NBA legend Vince Carter.
The first Rising Stars game will get going at 9 p.m. and feature Austin Rivers’ “Team Austin,” the G-League squad, facing off against Carmelo Anthony’s “Team Melo.” At 9:55 p.m., Edgecombe and Team Vince will face Tracy McGrady’s “Team T-Mac,” which features Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel. The winners of each respective game will face off in the championship round at 10:35 p.m.
For each semifinal game, the first team to reach or exceed 40 points wins. For the championship, the winning figure is 25 points. Got it? Well, I barely do, but All-Star Weekend goes on either way.
Feel free to chat about the All-Star festivities, Edgecombe, the Sixers or legitimately anything else in our open thread for the evening!
There will be a recap of Edgecombe’s performance after Team Vince finishes up as well, so stay tuned to Liberty Ballers for that too! Let’s hope he balls out.
There has been a big media presence around the Atlanta Braves during this first week of Spring Training which means lots of player availability. Earlier today, Alex Anthopoulos met with the media, and you can read those highlights here.
Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale made the media rounds as well, discussion a number of topics, two of which were most notable.
First, Sale said he will never challenge a pitch with MLB’s ABS system. Saying that he doesn’t want to take away a challenge and has dealt with missed pitched all his career, Sale stated he would leave it up to his catcher if the backstop wants to challenge a pitch. The full video of his answer is embedded below.
Thought this was interesting from the #Braves clubhouse today: Chris Sale says he will never challenge a pitch being a ball or strike despite new challenge system in MLB this season. pic.twitter.com/V0CT1Xct4i
Second, and maybe more notable, was Sale discussing his pending free agency, noting that he hasn’t previously been in the position before of having uncertainty as to where he will play next season during his 15-year big league career.
When asked in a follow-up question if he’d like to retire as a Braves, he said that he would like to do so noting that Atlanta gave him a chance and helped get his career back on track.
You can watch his full comment in the embed below.
Chris Sale on if he'd like to retire with the @braves
"I would like to. I really like being here. These guys obviously gave me a shot and kind of picked me up off the ground."
When on the mound, Sale has been arguably the best pitcher in the National League while with the Braves. Although he will pitch most of the 2026 season at age 37, Sale has compiled more than 10 fWAR across his two season with Atlanta, striking out more than 32-percent of the batters he has faced.
He won the 2024 National League Cy Young and if not for the freak broken rib suffered diving for a ball mid-season, he would have likely been at least a top five finisher for the 2025 award.
The Braves need Chris Sale to stay healthy and keep pitching like the future Hall of Famer that is likely is to contend this season. Whether the Braves offer him an extension prior to free agency or not will be an interesting item to watch as the year progresses.
Zach LaVine sat out the last three Kings games with what the team called a "right fifth finger tendon injury." Turns out, it was more serious than that.
LaVine will be out the rest of the season after having surgery on his right hand, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes. That is LaVine's shooting hand.
LaVine, 30, is averaging 19.2 points a game but has not played up to his usual standards this season. He is averaging 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, both career lows, and his overall play has been just kind of average.
Sacramento explored the market for trading LaVine at the deadline, speaking with Milwaukee among others, but nothing serious ever materialized. LaVine has a $48.9 million player option for next season, which he is widely expected to pick up, which was part of the challenge in finding a trade. Expect LaVine trade rumors to surface again this offseason.
The Kings are on a 14-game losing streak as the organization turns its attention to the upcoming NBA Draft.
NEW YORK (AP) — Perri Page scored a career-high 25 points to go with 10 rebounds, Riley Weiss scored 20 of her 23 points in the second half, and Columbia beat No. 24 Princeton 70-56 on Friday night to sweep the season series.
Columbia (16-6, 7-2) earned its third victory over an AP Top 25 team in program history — with all three coming against Princeton.
Columbia outscored Princeton 22-10 in the third quarter, with 11 points from Weiss, to take a 47-41 lead into the fourth.
The Lions used a four-point possession early in the fourth to help pull away. Fliss Henderson grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back while being fouled to give Columbia a 52-43 lead. Henderson missed the free throw, but the Lions secured the offensive rebound and Weiss made a jumper from the baseline for an 11-point lead.
Henderson finished with 12 rebounds to go with eight points for Columbia. Page reached 20 points for the fourth time this season. Weiss, who was coming off a 38-point performance with nine 3-pointers on Saturday, went 4 of 8 from 3-point range.
Princeton (19-3, 7-2 Ivy League) was led by Fadima Tall's 16 points and Olivia Hutcherson's 12.
Princeton opened the second quarter with a basket to take a 22-11 lead. Columbia used a late 7-0 run to get within 29-25 with 44 seconds left in the first half before Hutcherson made a shot in the lane while being fouled for a six-point halftime lead.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
PHOENIX — Shohei Ohtani wants to win the World Series.
Again.
He wants to win the World Baseball Classic.
Again.
He also wants to win his first Cy Young Award.
And then do it again.
Dodgers star pitcher Shohei Ohtani works out at spring training. JASON SZENES FOR THE CALIFORNIA POST
Ohtani was unusually open on Friday, the ordinarily guarded two-way star revealing his goals and offering insights into his mindset after throwing a 27-pitch bullpen session in the Dodgers’ first workout of the spring for pitchers and catchers.
What Ohtani said confirmed the depths of ambition long described by those close to him.
Ohtani, 31, has won four MVP awards, two World Series and a WBC, but he said he wants more. And more. And more.
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani throws during spring training. JASON SZENES FOR THE CALIFORNIA POSTCy Young Award trophy wall with a plaque for Tom Glavine and a list of award winners. Getty Images
“I think that when you’re satisfied, it’s time to finish,” Ohtani said in Japanese. “I don’t feel that way at this point. The opposite way of saying it is that I think I should quit when I do.”
There aren’t many unchecked boxes in his career to-do list, but he said there’s value in checking the same box multiple times.
“Whether it’s winning the World Series or winning the WBC or being the MVP there, it’s not enough to do it once,” Ohtani said. “When you continue to do that, I think that’s when you’re viewed as a first-class player for the first time. Doing it twice is better than doing it once, and doing it three times is better than doing it twice.”
Nevermind that Ohtani proved he was a first-class player five years ago when he won his first MVP award with the Angels. He has already been at Camelback Ranch for close to two weeks. The bullpen session he threw on Friday was his third of the spring.
When manager Dave Roberts said a couple of weeks ago that Ohtani would focus on hitting and not pitch for Japan in the WBC, I wrote that it was a sign that he might have his eyes set on a Cy Young Award.
Ohtani basically said as much on this day.
“If I can get it,” he said, “I think that would be wonderful.”
Makes sense. Why else would a legacy-driven player such as Ohtani sacrifice potential glory in an event considered more prestigious than the World Series in his home country?
Ohtani said of the Cy Young Award, “To just be close would mean I’m pitching the required number of innings. I think the most important thing I have to do is to take my turns in the rotation for an entire year.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts looks on during a spring training workout. JASON SZENES FOR THE CALIFORNIA POST
The health of his arm figures to be front and center for Ohtani, who is very much aware that a third elbow operation could turn him into a full-time designated hitter.
“He’s gone through a lot of things,” Roberts said. “As much as people think that he’s not human, he’s still a human being that’s had two major surgeries. He’s got a long career ahead of him.”
Ohtani is under contract for eight more seasons. He underwent his second Tommy John surgery in 2023, his final year with the Angels. He returned to the mound in the middle of last season and went on to post a 2.84 ERA in 14 starts. He pitched four more games in the postseason.
Shohei Ohtani smiling in his Los Angeles Dodgers uniform during spring training. JASON SZENES FOR THE CALIFORNIA POST
Roberts was encouraged by what he saw.
“I think the thing that was most surprising from last year was his command,” Roberts said. “I’ll say that he still feels his command wasn’t up to par. But given the Tommy John and what typically command looks like the year after, it was above that. That was impressive. Just his ability to command a couple of different breaking balls, to change the shape of his breaking balls, was pretty impressive.”
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Ohtani sounded at peace with the decision to not pitch in the WBC, which he said was made jointly with the team.
“Last year, I only pitched in the second half (of the season),” Ohtani said. “Timing-wise, if this came after pitching an entire season, I think the overall approach would’ve been different. Right now, at this stage, honestly, I’m satisfied with the feeling that it would be difficult.”
While Ohtani said he was relieved to finally have a normal offseason — he spent his two previous winters recovering from elbow and shoulder operations, respectively — he said he knew he would have to advance as a player to reach his latest round of goals. Pitching and hitting in the postseason, he acknowledged, was extremely demanding.
“Two years ago, I played as a DH, but it was a different feeling from last year,” he said. “It felt like a different task.”
So he continues to build up his pitching arm. He said he wants to pitch to batters next week.
Because after the WBC, he wants to be in position to do more. And more. And more.
During his first bullpen session of spring training Friday, Cole unveiled a new delivery in which he raises his hands over his head instead of keeping them by his belt or chest, as he previously did before undergoing Tommy John surgery last March.
“Just felt good,” Cole said of the change. “Throwing on the back fields during the summer and tried it out. I’ve had little idiosyncrasies that have changed over the years from still hands to a drop or hands off the body, close to the body. I think I generally just like the rhythm of it.”
Cole has long been known for his simple and repeatable delivery, which played a hand in the right-hander maintaining good health before finally needing elbow surgery last year.
Gerrit Cole is pictured during a Feb. 11 throwing session for the Yankees during spring training. Charles Wenzelberg
But the 35-year-old still made the new-look windup look smooth Friday.
“When I think of Gerrit and his greatness, a lot of it ties to … his delivery is just so outstanding,” manager Aaron Boone said. “That’s [still] the case. Everything looks like it’s coming out free and easy, command. He looks to be in a really good place.
“I’ve been saying it around here today after seeing it, that diver that dives off the high board and just goes in the water and makes no splash — that’s Gerrit on the mound. He’s just really efficient.”
The Yankees officially invited veteran reliever Rafael Montero to big league camp Friday after signing him to a minor league deal to join their bullpen competition.
The 35-year-old posted a 4.48 ERA in 59 games last season, but he finished strong with a 2.86 ERA in 20 games with the Tigers down the stretch.
“There’s some things we really like that he was doing last year,” Boone said. “Maybe some small adjustments we can make to help him. Hopefully, he can push himself into the mix.”
“I haven’t got the end-of-day report on him yet but he kind of brushes it off, like, ‘No biggie,’ ” Boone said. “Hopefully this is something that just slowing him down serves him well in the total buildup — I think it will. We’ll see how the next day or two unfolds to see when he gets back on the mound. But hopefully pretty quick.”
Relievers David Bednar, Fernando Cruz, Jake Bird and Brent Headrick each threw an inning of live batting practice Friday afternoon.
TAMPA, Fla. — Yankees ace Gerrit Cole threw his first bullpen of spring training on Friday, may pitch in exhibition games and is on track to return to regular-season action from May to September.
A 35-year-old right-hander, Cole had Tommy John surgery March 11 with Los Angeles Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
“We’ve had a lot of discussions between myself, the Yankees and Dr. ElAttrache,” Cole said. “With a full Tommy John reconstruction surgery, the target’s always between 14 and 18 months so that really hasn’t changed and that’s what the research says.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone won’t push for an early return, preferring to have Cole at optimum strength late in the season and October.
“We want to make sure we give him the proper time to make sure he is good and ready to come back, built up in a smart way,” Boone said. “Don’t want to speed things up for the sake of a couple starts at the front end that could affect the overall product.”
Cole threw his first bullpen in October following surgery. He pitched at Steinbrenner Field with a beard — the Yankees relaxed their facial hair policy last year.
“It’s been long and tedious, like most people’s experiences. As we get closer to the end, things start to gain a little momentum,” Cole said. “I just kind of am doing exactly what I’ve been told. So when I’m told to push, I push. When I’m told not to, I don’t.”
Thus far, his elbow feels better than it did two years ago.
“It feels really good,” he said. “It feels different than it has been in quite some time.”
Boone was pleased.
“Everything looks like it’s coming out free and easy — command. He just looks to be in a really good place,” Boone said. “You know that diver that dives off the high board and just goes in the water and makes like no splash? That’s Gerrit on the mound.”
Cole altered his windup, putting his hands over his head. Before he was hurt, he stopped at his chest.
“It feels good,” he said. “Just throwing on the backfields during the summer and tried it out. I’ve had little idiosyncrasies that have changed over the years from still hands to a drop or hands off of the body, close to the body. I think I generally just like the rhythm of it.”
”Some silver linings, you get more family time,” Cole said. “I miss that outlet of working hard and feeling exhausted every five days.”
Cashman address `running it back’
After re-signing Paul Goldschmidt to a $4 million, one-year contract on Thursday, the Yankees have 24 of the 26 players from last year’s Division Series roster — all but relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, who left as free agents and signed with the Mets.
Left-hander Ryan Weathers, acquired from Miami, appears to be the most significant addition.
“From a macro standpoint, I think we assessed last year’s team as a really good team. I think it played very well. It ultimately fell short,” Cashman said. “In a micro standpoint, when you’re looking at individual decisions that add up to in theory ‘running it back,’ which is the term we’re hearing so much of and understandably so, I think it’s more you engage the current marketplace and it’s an acknowledgement: A, I think we had really good players that were great competitors and B, when I started trying to match up in the marketplace via trade or free agent signs, we wound up comfortable with every individual choice of whether it’s retaining, bringing back, reacquiring.”
Without a World Series title since 2009, the Yankees lost to Toronto in last year’s Division Series.
“Certainly not apologetic of the team we had last year,” Cashman said. “It was a really strong team. A lot of people, experts in the game expected — not expected but predicted could win a world championship.”
New face in camp
Right-hander Rafael Montero agreed to a minor league contract. The 35-year-old was 1-2 with a 4.48 ERA in 59 relief appearances last year for Houston, Atlanta and Detroit.
“There’s some things we really liked that he was doing last year,” Boone said. “Maybe some small adjustments we can make to help him and hopefully he can push himself into the mix.”
