Yankees' Gerrit Cole explains major change ahead of injury return

It's been a while since Gerrit Cole last took the mound for the New York Yankees.

The ace underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2025 season. He's finally inching closer to returning, but he won't be the same hurler he was before he got hurt.

The former Houston Astros star is testing out a new over-the-head windup. 

It's not the first time Cole has changed his windup, and while some might speculate there's a big reason behind it, it just sort of happened. 

Gerrit Cole opens up on his new over-the-head windup

“I don't really have a good answer for it,” Cole told Greg Johnson of the Trentonian. “Just throwing the ball with (Yankees PT & rehab coordinator) Joe Bello all last summer, just doing this, and it felt kinda good. Keeps the rhythm going. I got a lot of positive feedback, you know? People like it. Not that I make changes if people like it, but it's nice to hear. I just generally enjoy the rhythm of it. I think it keeps the tempo of the delivery kind of upbeat and fluid.”

Cole just threw 60 pitches in his third start for Double-A Somerset. He made 17 starts in 2024 before suffering a season-ending injury, and while it's been a long time since we last saw him take the mound, the 12-year veteran should still be one of the most reliable hurlers on the team.

He struggled in his first outing in the minors, giving up three runs in just 4.1 innings of work. However, the team can afford to give the righty as much time as he needs to recover his groove, even with Carlos Rodon also out with injuries.

The Yankees have done just fine in Cole's absence this season. To begin Thursday, they're sitting on an AL-best 20-11 record, and getting two superstars back for their rotation might be just what they need to finally get back to the mountaintop.