What Gerrit Cole’s First Throw Reveals About His Tommy John Comeback

Gerrit Cole picked up a baseball on Monday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery with an internal brace in March, marking a critical step in his rehab. The Yankees ace began his throwing program on flat ground about five months post-operation. That's a timeline that puts him right on pace with most modern recoveries from the elbow surgery.

The Yankees haven’t put an exact date on his return, but history tells us what to expect.

Most pitchers need 12 to 18 months before they’re back in a big-league game, with the average sitting around 14 to 15 months. That puts Cole on track for a mid-season 2026 return if there are no setbacks.

The internal brace procedure he had alongside the UCL reconstruction has become more common in recent years and can sometimes shorten the recovery window. Even so, medical experts say the typical benchmarks still apply. First, there is building arm strength, stretching out the throwing distance, progressing to mound work, then simulated games, before any rehab assignment.

There’s no rushing those steps.

Cristian Javier of the Astros, who returned this week from his own Tommy John rehab, took about 14 months. Jameson Taillon and Nathan Eovaldi needed even longer for repeat surgeries. And while Shohei Ohtani and Bryce Harper returned to hitting far sooner after their operations, position players aren’t throwing 95-plus mph every fifth day. Ohtani took longer to pitch again.

For Cole, the next few weeks and months will be about steadily increasing distance and intensity without pain or swelling. If that goes well, mound work could come this winter, followed by bullpen sessions and live batting practice in spring.

A rehab assignment would be the final hurdle before rejoining the Yankees rotation.

Given his track record and the Yankees’ investment, there’s no incentive to rush. The focus is on getting him back, not just as a starter, but as the workhorse ace who can anchor a rotation.

A healthy Cole by next summer would be the equivalent of a blockbuster trade, one the Yankees don’t have to negotiate.

It began successfully on Monday with 20 throws on flat ground at 60 feet.