Yankees' Gerrit Cole Update Can't Help But Raise Some Eyebrows

New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole missed all of 2025 as a result of Tommy John surgery, which was obviously a massive blow to the Yankees' starting rotation.

Cole is expected to return at some point during the first half of 2026, and earlier this week, manager Aaron Boone provided an update on the right-hander, saying he has "has a good rehab" and that there have been "no hiccups" in his recovery.

"So I’m expecting Gerrit Cole-like things," Boone said on WFAN. "We won’t rush him back, he won’t rush back. I think that’s important, but he’s been doing good pretty much every step of the way."

One part of Boone's statement there is interesting: the part where he said neither the Yankees nor Cole himself will rush the process.

That's perfectly understandable, but does mean that Cole could potentially be out for longer than expected?

Maybe it's just me, but something doesn't feel quite right with this whole situation.

The initial thought was that Cole could potentially be back to start the 2026 campaign (he underwent the surgery last March). Then, it was said that Cole would probably miss a few weeks. Then most recently, we heard the 35-year-old could return around June.

What's with the shifting timeline? And does New York even really have a timeline for Cole? Michael Kay himself recently said he was surprised by the rumors that the 2023 Cy Young award winner might miss the first couple of months of the season.

Not only that, but the Yanks have been aggressively pursuing starting pitching. They swung a trade for Ryan Weathers and then they were still in on Freddy Peralta and MacKenzie Gore until the two hurlers were dealt elsewhere.

And there remains speculation that the Yankees could end up landing one of the veteran arms on the free-agent market. Like Chris Bassitt, for example.

When healthy, New York has Cole, Carlos Rodon, Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil, Will Warren and Weathers as potential starters. I get that Rodon will be sidelined to begin the year, too, but why the need for yet another pitcher if Cole is okay?

Maybe the Yankees are just being extra cautious, but it's not like they could have gotten Peralta or Gore on the cheap.

It's important to remember that Cole has not pitched a full season since 2023. Remember: he was on the shelf until June in 2024 due to an elbow injury, as well. So perhaps New York is worried about Cole's long-term prognosis?

Hopefully, this is just needless concern. Maybe Cole really is progressing just fine and the Yanks are just ensuring he is completely 100 percent before sending him back out on to the mound. But you can't help but feel a bit uneasy about the circumstances.

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