Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole remains on track with his rehabilitation process after missing the entire 2025 season because of Tommy John surgery.
But he doesn’t anticipate he’ll be in the team’s rotation at the start of next season.
Speaking Tuesday at ALS United Greater New York’s annual Lou Gehrig Legacy Gala, Cole told The Post that his initial phase of his ramp-up program is “coming to a close” within the next month, but his timeline to return to play remains unclear.
Cole’s rehab program started in August with 20 pitches off flat ground and he’s slowly worked his way up from there.
Last week, he shared a clip of him delivering a strike from a mound in the Yankees bullpen.
The 35-year-old is feeling well and is expected to throw a few more bullpen sessions before taking some time off around the holidays.
“After that, we’ll kind of have a sit-down and figure out what that means for next season,” the 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner said.
Cole said he isn’t sure when he might receive the green light from team doctors to pitch in real games.
Gerrit Cole, who is still rehabbing after Tommy John Surgery, said on Nov. 11, 2025 that “Opening Day is probably out of the picture.”
“They mentioned that Opening Day is probably out of the picture and that seems to make the most sense at this point,” Cole said. “But when, afterwards, I’m not exactly sure. Hopefully as soon as possible.”
Cole appeared in two spring training games last year before undergoing Tommy John surgery in March.
The typical recovery timeline is around 14 months, which could mean Cole might not be back until around May or June.
Cole also weighed in on his teammate Cody Bellinger, who’s mulling free agency options.
“Cody’s outstanding,” Cole said. “I mean in my career, I’d never come across another player like Cody. I mean, two other players come to mind. I think of Josh Harrison and I think of Sean Rodriguez back when I was on the Pirates. Both players that I thought could play at least three major league positions at above-average defense. Cody fits that bill, and then also has a career OPS of .850, which is just in another league. So fantastic player all around, fantastic clubhouse guy and great family man.”
At Tuesday’s event, Cole received the Lou Gehrig Sports Award, which goes to athletes who exemplify the Iron Horse’s strength and values.
He said it was a “tremendous honor.”
“All that Lou Gehrig stands for, all that this organization does in the community, it’s something really special to be a part of,” Cole said. “Being a New York Yankee as well, getting to represent the Yankees brand and getting to represent everything Lou stood for on and off the field.”
With The Walking Dead being about a zombie apocalypse, deaths were inevitable. However, the show knew just how to crush you with them. You had watched characters grow from strangers into family, laugh with them, fight with them, cry with them, and just when you thought you understood this brutal world, the show would yank them away.
It didn’t matter how strong they were, how smart, how brave, or how clever. You could never predict who would survive, and that uncertainty was part of the torment. Some deaths were sudden, while others unfolded with agonizing slowness. But each hurt just the same, especially if it was one of your favorites.
And then came that episode… The one that broke everyone. The one that didn’t just kill one beloved character, but two. A double heartbreak that felt cruel, almost sadistic, like the show was testing how much pain you could take before you shattered completely. Remember the fourth episode of
I had a rewatch session of this particular episode recently, and honestly, it still hit like the first time. Maybe even harder. I thought I was prepared for it because I already knew what was coming, but nothing, and I mean nothing, can truly prepare you for reliving that kind of heartbreak.
Titled “Killer Within,” the fourth episode starts off deceptively calm, almost serene. The group has settled into the prison, doing their best to carve out a sense of normalcy. But that peace is fragile, and the show wastes no time reminding viewers that in this world, safety is an illusion. Suddenly, the prison is overrun with walkers. We find out later in the episode that a surviving prisoner that Rick had left behind had cut the locks on a gate, intentionally letting the undead inside.
In the middle of the mayhem, T-Dog, one of the original Atlanta survivors, is bitten while desperately trying to secure the prison. Instead of fleeing, he throws himself into the fray to protect Carol, holding off the walkers long enough for her to escape. His sacrifice is both heroic and soul-crushing. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the prison, another tragedy unfolds. Lori goes into labor with no medical supplies and walkers closing in from all sides.
She, Maggie, and Carl retreat to a boiler room, where it quickly becomes clear that Lori will not survive. In a scene that has haunted fans for years, Lori instructs Maggie to perform a C-section to save the baby, fully aware it will cost her life. Her final moments with Carl are heartrending. She tells him that he is smart, he is strong, and that she loves him. Carl stays by her side until the end, and after the baby is delivered, he makes the tough decision to shoot his own mother, ensuring she will not turn.
But the heartbreak doesn’t stop there. Oh no. The Walking Dead has to deliver that one last gut-punch to really send you over. Rick finally reunites with the others and sees Maggie walk out of the prison with Judith in her arms and Carl by her side. However, Rick quickly notices that Lori is missing. He asks Maggie where she is, and all Maggie can do is stare at him with pain in her eyes.
And then it finally hits Rick. Lori didn’t make it, and he immediately breaks down. He collapses to the ground, and all that can be heard is his loud sobbing while the others stand around in silence. That’s how