TAMPA, Fla. – More than a decade has passed since Gerrit Cole had anything to prove on mid-March afternoons, but the inning he threw against the Boston Red Sox Wednesday afternoon meant something anyway.
The last time Cole pitched in a game was March 6 of last year, an outing in which he was so ineffective that he and the Yankees guessed correctly that his elbow was not right.
So Wednesday’s outing was both an affirmation and an evaluation: The fact that Cole was throwing in a Grapefruit League game a year after surgery was the latest indication that his recovery is going well. That he showed his usual velocity and showcased secondary stuff in a quick scoreless inning meant that his elbow withstood the very Grapefruit League test it failed this time last year.
“I just wanted to enjoy all of it. That was my goal for today. No reservations. Try not to judge yourself too hard,” Cole said. “Just have fun. No thoughts about wanting to take a little bit off. Just go ahead and let it fly.”
It was just 53 weeks ago Wednesday, Dr. Neal ElAttrache cut into Cole’s elbow, reconstructed his ulnar collateral ligament, and inserted an internal brace to support it. By all accounts -- and most importantly Cole’s -- everything since has gone as well as anyone could ask.
Many pitchers returning from elbow surgery experience setbacks, or do not see their velocity return until several months or even a full season after their return. Cole touched 98 MPH with both fastballs Wednesday, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone said multiple times he feels his ace’s command seems to have returned.
In the first six weeks of camp, Cole ramped up from throwing regular bullpens to live batting practice sessions. He threw 35 pitches in what amounted to two innings while facing Yankees hitters five days ago. When his body bounced back successfully from that outing, Cole and the Yankees faced a choice.
“Throw more pitches in the same environment, or elevate the environment,” Cole said. “And based on what we had accomplished in the four [live batting practices] before that, the next step was to elevate the environment and see how things respond.”
Cole didn’t treat Wednesday like a regular start. He and catcher Austin Wells didn’t talk gameplans beforehand. Wednesday’s game was not meant to test Cole’s ability to work through a proven big league lineup – and, in fairness, the Red Sox did not exactly send one.
Instead, what Wednesday’s outing offered was unpredictability. And when speedy Red Sox outfielder Braiden Ward bunted the first pitch Cole threw up the first base line, the 35-year-old sprinted and slid to try to field it – moves he hasn’t had to execute in quite some time. A few batters later, Cole sprinted back over to receive a throw from Jazz Chisholm Jr. that retired the side.
“I missed the big [pitcher fielding practice] group today because I had to pitch today for the first time,” Cole said. “It’s the first set of PFPs that I missed, and I ended up getting my work in so it was all good.”
While the initial sprint and slide paused hearts in the Yankees dugout, Cole survived the whole experience so effortlessly that he went to the bullpen afterward to throw three more three-pitch sequences. Combined with warmups for his inning and those bullpen batters, Cole’s day finished right around 30 pitches, in line with his outings in recent weeks.
“It was exciting. Had the nerves over there, too, knowing obviously who he is to our team and what he means to us,” Boone said. “The long road, another part of the journey back. I thought he looked good.”
The next step in Cole’s journey is not clear. He said he will pitch a bullpen a few days from now, then will plan to make another game-like outing at some point in the next six or seven days, in keeping with his schedule so far. He said he will not travel with the Yankees to San Francisco for their opener next week, but does plan to be in New York for the home opener April 3; The minor league season begins around then anyway, and Cole will need several rehab outings with affiliates before he returns to the majors.
The Yankees open their regular season one week from Wednesday. Obviously, Cole will not be active when they do. Neither will Carlos Rodon, who is working his way back from shoulder surgery and is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session Thursday. Clarke Schmidt, who underwent Tommy John surgery a few months after Cole, threw an extensive flat ground session with cameras watching his every move.
All three would likely be in the Opening Day rotation if healthy. But this Yankees season will probably depend as much as what they do during April and May anyway.
Because as untouchable as Cam Schlittler was in October, as sturdy as Will Warren was in his first year of full-time service, and as much potential as newly acquired Ryan Weathers flashes at his best, a rotation built around them and anchored by Max Fried – like the Yankees will be to start the season – is not exactly a sure thing.
A rotation with Schlittler, Warren, Weathers, and Schmidt behind Cole, Fried, and Rodon, meanwhile, looks as deep as any starting rotation this side of Dodger Stadium. The key for the Yankees, then, is to make sure that nothing happens in the next two months of Cole’s rehabilitation process that will compromise what happens in the months after his return.
And speaking of that return, Cole and his manager insist that even with perfect progress, nothing about his timeline has changed. They have targeted June 1 for weeks, and one healthy Grapefruit League inning will not inspire a rush to return sooner.
“I wouldn’t commit to it. Nothing has changed,” Cole said. “Still on track. Hoping it plays out that way. I’d be thrilled if it did.”
