Gerrit Cole injury updates from Yankees spring training all sound borderline magical

In case you're still wondering why the Yankees didn't pursue Tatsuya Imai or any other potential No. 2-3 starter on the free agent/trade market this winter, their rotation group might roll much deeper than the pessimists believed in January. Gerrit Cole's healthy return — the strongest argument of all against the Yankees purely "running it back" — played a massive role in that calculus.

Sure, you can never have too much pitching. If more pitching arrived, we'd welcome it. But while certain folks were throwing their own feces over the existence of Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn (we see you, Punch the Monkey), the Yankees' first 10 spring training games revealed that Ryan Weathers and Will Warren might have higher ceilings than anticipated, and that Elmer Rodriguez/Carlos Lagrange/Ben Hess all belong on the expanded depth chart.

And then there's Cole. No one is certain what he'll look like when he returns. Co-ace. Ace lite? Overqualified No. 3? Standard No. 3? Either way, his presence is a present to any theoretical playoff rotation. And while it may not arrive until June, it seems like you can expect several "champing at the bit" notifications in the interim.

According to Yankees insider Brendan Kuty with the latest, Cole — now touching 97 — doesn't look like a pitcher recovering from injury at all these days. As he's continued to build up after his initial bombastic bullpen sessions, he hasn't lost a step. He's only sharpened. Quickly.

Gerrit Cole injury updates could lead to ahead-of-schedule return to Yankees

...but it won't, and that's also okay.

The Yankees aren't likely to be tempted here. They didn't spend on bolstering the rotation because they believe in their depth, and they also believe they can survive until Cole's late May/early June return. Unless there's a catastrophic occurrence — multiple high-profile injuries, a 15-game losing streak — expect Cole to comfortably wait.

The Yankees' rotation might be in better hands — and more hands — than we thought it was during the dullest part of the offseason. The bullpen? Well ... you're not going to get a mea culpa from me there until Cade Winquest/Angel Chivilli/Jake Bird prove to be legit guys rather than moderately acceptable bodies.

But if the rookies are viable big-leaguers already in the Cam Schlittler mold and Cole looks like a reborn version of his Cy Young self after getting his troublesome elbow sorted out (remember, it hampered him all through 2024 before it snapped), then the Yankees' rotation sales pitch deserves credit for accuracy.