The exact guy the 2025 Yankees need made himself available to reporters Monday for the first time this regular season.
Gerrit Cole seemed in a good head space having emerged from a “dark” period he described being encased in from the day in March it became inevitable he needed Tommy John surgery to the subsequent post-procedure weeks when he needed to avoid the risk of a setback by something as simple as being jostled. He spoke in front of his locker for 21 minutes, often punctuating points by using his right arm aggressively — a symbol that the initial healing of his elbow has gone well.
But the first time he can use that right arm to even throw a ball is August. He cited 14 months as the common time frame for his return to competition, which would be about this time next year.
The problem is the Yankees are playing this year. On Sunday, they started an Anthony Volpe/Jazz Chisholm Jr.-less lineup that infuriated their fan base because it looked like something that might be taken on the road to Dunedin in March. If that didn’t annoy the faithful enough, the time and order in which Aaron Boone deployed pinch hitters did.