Why the 2023 Cy Young Winner Must Return Sooner Than Expected for the Yankees in 2026
Two years have passed, though it feels like 20. The stage was Yankee Stadium, Game Five of the 2024 World Series. Gerrit Cole, the Yankees' ace and 2023 AL Cy Young winner, sensed his arm was vulnerable. Still, he was determined to chase a championship, willing to pay any price. He threw 108 of the most important pitches of his career, including a grueling 38-pitch fifth inning, perhaps his finest postseason moment in pinstripes. The Yankees lost, and that winter, the cost became clear. After surviving arm problems to start 2024 to make an October impact, Tommy John surgery was a steep return, and that has kept him from a Major League mound ever since.
This rehab assignment was never meant to be rushed. The New York Yankees’ starting staff was deep and effective when the season began, allowing them to take a patient approach to Cole’s recovery. They could afford to wait, expecting a healthy ace by July. However, with Max Fried now lost for some time due to elbow injury, the strain is beginning to tell. Cole’s rehab has become a balancing act: pushing himself aggressively yet carefully, to return as close as possible to his Cy Young form because the fate of the Yankees’ season may depend on his arm. It's now or never.
Early in the season, the youthful energy and unexpected effectiveness of Cam Schlittler, Fried, Ryan Weathers, and Will Warren kept the Yankees afloat. They looked impressive, and optimism ran high as the team weathered injuries and inconsistencies elsewhere. The plan was always to have Gerrit and Carlos Rodón anchor the staff as a dominant one-two punch by midseason. However, with Fried sidelined and Rodón’s return underwhelming, those hopes may have been illusory. Now that the staff has returned to the mean, the Yankees have no choice but to turn to their veteran ace now. Cole has been penciled in to make his 2026 debut this Friday. Uncertainty hangs over the moment, making this the defining pivot point of the season.
The Yankees’ only true strength, the one that masked so many of their flaws, was a starting rotation with uncommon depth and talent. Those starters routinely covered for a bullpen riddled with holes, often pitching deep into games to limit the exposure of unreliable relievers. They also bought time for an inconsistent, power-starved offense, giving the lineup multiple chances to scrape together just enough runs. The hope that the 2024 version of this six-time all-star will suddenly reappear is powerful, and his presence would undoubtedly lift Yankee morale. Yet, the reality is more complex. The organization has leaned on hopes and dreams for far too long, and the return of this two-time strikeout leader, while significant, cannot single-handedly fix a leaky bullpen or ignite a stagnant lineup. It remains to be seen whether he can be the difference-maker. The Yankees claimed he could provide the missing edge the Yankees lacked against Toronto, which went to the World Series last year. Yet, the team’s issues run deeper than one missing ace, and the burden of transforming the season may be too great for even Gerrit to shoulder alone.
