![\"Yankees](\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1250,height=833,fit=crop,quality=90,gravity=auto,sharpen=1,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/MLB-Milwaukee-Brewers-at-New-York-Yankees-25784200.jpg\")
The mound session marks a significant step forward in that timeline. According to The Athletic\u2019s<\/em> Chris Kirschner, Cole shared the milestone on his social media accounts, a welcome sight for fans who\u2019ve been tracking each stage of his comeback. He began throwing in mid-August, first tossing 20 pitches on flat ground, then ramping up to 45 throws from 75 feet by mid-September. Each checkpoint has been cautious, deliberate, and now, rewarding.<\/p>\n The Yankees didn\u2019t collapse without him. Far from it. New York won 94 games during the 2025 regular season, powered by the duo of Max Fried and Carlos Rod\u00f3n at the top of the rotation, the surprising rise of rookie Cam Schlittler, and an offense that led the league in runs scored.<\/p>\n Still, when October arrived, Cole\u2019s absence was impossible to ignore. The Yankees\u2019 rotation faltered at key moments during the American League Division Series loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, leaving the lineup to do much of the heavy lifting. In the postseason, there\u2019s simply no substitute for having a pitcher like Cole who can dominate under pressure.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to forget how dominant Cole was before the injury. In 2023, he captured the American League Cy Young Award, reaffirming his place as one of baseball\u2019s most dependable arms. A year later, he posted a 0.71 ERA across two World Series starts against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Those performances cemented his reputation as the kind of October weapon every contender dreams about.<\/p>\n Without him this past year, New York felt incomplete \u2014 talented, yes, but lacking that emotional and competitive edge Cole brings every fifth day. His presence alone can reset the tone of a series or a season.<\/p>\n If Cole returns to full strength, the Yankees could possess one of the most intimidating rotations in baseball. A healthy Cole joining Fried, Rod\u00f3n, and Schlittler gives New York a formidable mix of power, precision, and playoff experience. It\u2019s the kind of staff that can make opponents uncomfortable from April through October.<\/p>\n Cole will return with something to prove \u2014 not just that he\u2019s healthy, but that he\u2019s still the same dominant force who anchored the Yankees\u2019 resurgence just a couple of years ago.<\/p>\n The Yankees may have learned how to win without their ace, but with him back on the mound, the ceiling gets a whole lot higher. The only question left is how soon they\u2019ll get to find out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole shared a video of a throwing session off a mound, a major step with an early-2026 return in mind<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":116438,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nYankees Proved Their Depth \u2014 But Missed Their Ace<\/h2>\n
![\"Yankees](\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1250,height=833,fit=crop,quality=90,gravity=auto,sharpen=1,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/MLB-Spring-Training-Toronto-Blue-Jays-at-New-York-Yankees-25542716.jpg\")
The Missing Piece<\/h2>\n
What\u2019s Next for New York<\/h2>\n