Cole posted a video to his Instagram story on Saturday, tossing a fastball during a recent bullpen session at Yankee Stadium.
The 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner has been throwing since August and has said that it is “fair to say†he expects a relatively normal offseason, which he said would include continuing his rehab in California through the winter months.
“We have a good setup in California and good communication,†Cole said in August. “I can upload my throwing program to the [internal] platform and pretty much talk every day. Thereâ€s not a whole lot of urgency to get [to Tampa] right away.â€
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said recently that the club does not expect Cole, who turns 36 during the upcoming season, to be ready for Opening Day.
Cole underwent a complete UCL reconstruction that included an internal brace and was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. A 14-month recovery was forecast at the time of the procedure. That remains in play, raising the possibility of Cole returning to a Major League mound sometime in May.
The Yankees are preparing to begin the regular season with Cole, left-hander Carlos Rodón and right-hander Clarke Schmidt all on the injured list.
Rodón underwent surgery to remove loose bodies and a bone spur from his pitching elbow and will be delayed “potentially a couple of weeks†to begin the season, according to manager Aaron Boone.
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