Yankees ace Gerrit Cole reveals thrilling new wrinkle after post-Tommy John makeover

When we asked Gerrit Cole at a November gala if he'd be bringing the current iteration of his beard to the regular season, we never expected that facial hair would not be his most dramatic new look on Day 1 of Yankees spring training.

Honestly? We never thought he'd be throwing in public, either. But if 2026 is going to be a year of defying expectations for the Yankees, that tone begins with Cole, and he found the headlines early on Friday afternoon.

One day after reports emerged that he might even sneak into a spring game by the end of March (we'll believe it when we see it, but the carrot is nice), Cole threw a bullpen session. He looked both completely different and like his old self.

These days, the hands rise above the head as Cole cocks and fires, a traditional motion befitting the righty's status as an old-school ace. It was a noticeable change from his pre-surgery setup, but it didn't change the stuff; he sat 94, and even got Aaron Boone to mouth "96" to an amazed coaching staff on one of his most potent throws.

Yankees' Gerrit Cole unveils new windup, discusses readiness to return at spring training

Cole, the man of the hour, sat for a 1:30 press conference, too. If you thought his arrival at camp would've been muted and featured mostly going through the motions, it instead involved some high-intensity workouts, a multi-pronged new look, and several potentially massive questions that needed answering.

Despite Cole's competitive urges, the Yankees are wisely sticking to the same rumored recovery timeline: 14-18 months, which could put his first regular season pitch in late May with no further complications.

Whether it's the low-stress new delivery or just the long-awaited resolution of what ailed him — remember, Cole gave us a pre-2024 scare, too — it seems the issue has more than resolved itself. "It feels different than it has been in quite some time," the returning star said of his surgically repaired elbow, then confirmed that what we saw on Friday is what we'll get. The new look stays.

In order for the run-it-back Yankees to approach their ceiling, they'll need to keep their rotation depth intact, avoiding Carlos Carrasco-type fill-ins (and potentially even transferring some of their overflow to the bullpen down the line).

A full Cole recovery is paramount for their vision to become a reality, and so far, things couldn't be going more stunningly well.