Gerrit Cole Shined In His 1st Bullpen Session In Spring Training

Gerrit Cole underwent Tommy John surgery last season, and this is the first time we’ve seen him throw a bullpen session in front of the media in about a year. With the front office relying heavily on Cole heading into the season, he made a lot of the fanbase feel better after a strong bullpen session earlier today.

Cole looked comfortable out there today and is making great progress as the regular season gets closer. In his first live bullpen in front of the media, Cole was consistently sitting in the mid 90’s and got all the way up to 96 miles per hour. Both he and manager Aaron Boone were very happy with how things went as he eyes a return.

Cole Looked Fantastic

From what we were able to see on social media, Cole looked comfortable and smooth in the bullpen session. He debuted a new over-the-head windup, compared to his old one, which sat at belt level and would elevate at his upper chest. He confirmed that he will stick with the new throwing motion simply because it feels good. Outside of the windup, the biggest news was how his velocity was throughout the day.

One of the concerns for a pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery is how it will impact the pitcher’s velocity. The great news for Gerrit Cole is that he was throwing as hard as he was before he underwent surgery in Spring Training last season. He consistently hit 94 and was reported to have reached 96. This is very encouraging news for the Yankees ace, especially since he isn’t throwing as hard as he can, trying to ease himself into things and ramp up.

Still A Long Way To Go

Now that we know his velocity won’t be an issue, when Cole eventually gets to throw to live hitters and in games, we’ll see how his command looks. Command is always something every pitcher who has undergone Tommy John surgery has a hard time controlling. Being that Cole has had such a long and successful career, I don’t think he’ll struggle as much as guys like Sandy Alcántara did. 

There are a lot of people who’ve had the surgery in their 30’s and found success the year after. The most recent examples are Justin Verlander and Jacob deGrom. Verlander underwent surgery at the end of the 2020 season and returned in 2022. In his age-39 season, he did the unthinkable. He went 18-4 with a Major League-best 1.75 ERA and 185 strikeouts, while leading the Astros to a second championship. 

Jacob deGrom also had an incredible comeback story. He had the surgery earlier in his career, but managed to bounce back yet again. He underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2023 and returned at the end of the 2024 season. He was great in three games and pitched to a 2.97 ERA this past season in 30 starts. It’s not improbable for Cole to return at a high level for the Yankees.

When Will He Return?

It sounds like the plan is still for Cole to return sometime in June. Aaron Boone said that there’s a chance that he could potentially get into some game action by the end of spring. Regardless, the Yankees are not going to rush him back and will take as much time as he needs to make sure he’s back to full form. Brian Cashman is relying heavily on Cole this year, and they need him to be a true ace if they want a chance at winning a World Series.

All the signs in his recovery have been great so far, and Cole said his elbow hasn’t felt this good in a long time. He battled with injuries throughout the entire 2024 season, so it’s great to see him come into spring training in great shape and with a positive mindset. His progress will be closely followed in the coming weeks, and we’ll see how he fares when he does indeed return.