GerritCole

News: 2 days agoCole (elbow) will throw a live batting practice session Friday, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

Spin: It will be Cole's first time facing hitters since last March's Tommy John surgery with an internal brace. The veteran hurler's rehab has gone swimmingly to this point, and he will continue to check off boxes as he eyes a season debut in late May or early June.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Baseball's top-scoring fantasy pitcher over the first four seasons of his Yankees career (2020-23), Cole missed the first three months of 2024 due to an elbow injury, then ultimately succumbed to 2025-ending Tommy John surgery last March. A 14-month recovery timetable would have him ready to rejoin the big-league club in May, though the variability of return date and initial performance level coming off that operation lends uncertainty to his 2026 draft stock. Cole will be one of the most important pitchers to track once he resumes game competition (exhibition or minor-league level) in the spring, but his skill set makes him one of the best IL stashes for prospective front-of-a-staff fantasy production in the season's second half (or even its final four months).