Cole upbeat after latest strong Spring Training outing

MESA, Ariz. – Gerrit Cole is having fun again.

The 35-year-old right-hander started Tuesday’s Spring Training finale for the Yankees against the Cubs at Sloan Park, and he allowed one run while striking out three in 1 2/3 innings in New York's 8-3 win. Cole has not pitched in a Major League game since starting Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, having missed all of last season following Tommy John surgery to repair a right elbow ligament in March 2025.

Cole showcased his entire arsenal Tuesday, though more than half of his 26 pitches came from his 4-seamer. His fastball averaged 96.3 mph, topping out at 98, and he also mixed in his knuckle curve, slider, sinker, changeup and cutter. He threw 17 pitches for strikes.

Chicago’s Alex Bregman notched the only run against the 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner, blasting a 1-0 sinker a Statcast-projected 413 feet in the first inning.

It wasn’t even a pitch Cole regretted.

“Good pitch, better swing, and that’s the way it goes with good players sometimes,” Cole said. “I had some good shapes and some good spots, so all-in-all, pretty good day.”

The timeline for Cole’s return remains late May or early June, and he said he will not rush things. He has a 3.12 ERA in five seasons with the Yankees, and he is one of just three active pitchers with at least 150 career wins, alongside Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Cole’s strong outing was a good continuation of progress that started last week against the Red Sox.

“I thought he was sharp,” Boone said. “I thought he was good, I thought he was in control and it’s another good step in the process.”

A few Cubs players made solid contact during Cole’s five-out performance, including Bregman’s home run (104.1 mph exit velocity) and Dansby Swanson’s second-inning lineout (105.2 mph exit velocity), but he threw first-pitch strikes to four of six hitters, and his 4-seamer induced six swings while producing two whiffs.

Things are starting to click.

“I had fun out there again,” Cole said. “I think there’s maybe a little greater appreciation for the game – the level of talent, the level of intensity and the demand of the game.

“It demands your focus, it demands your preparation, and I enjoy that.”

Cole will not join the Yankees for Opening Day in San Francisco. Rather, he is set to return to Tampa, Fla., and throw again before ultimately completing Minor League rehab assignments.

Cole wasn’t taking any chances on Tuesday while talking about the club’s health heading into the 2026 season. He went out of his way to knock on a wooden baseball bat as he remarked about New York’s aspirations this season.

“We had a remarkably healthy spring,” Cole said while knocking on the bat. “That’s really encouraging. That’s great. The balance of the roster is good.”

His eventual return to the big league mound will bolster it even more.