Gerrit Cole Explains Why He's Now Returned to Yankees Dugout

Gerrit Cole made his return to the New York Yankees dugout over the weekend, and he explained why.

Mar 27, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees injured starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) tips his cap towards the Milwaukee Brewers base line during introductions before an opening day game at Yankee Stadium | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

New York Yankees fans saw something on Sunday for the first time all season; Gerrit Cole was in the dugout for a game.

It wasn't in the manner this organization and fan base would have liked since he was in street clothes and not a uniform after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but it was an important step for him to return to the gameday environment alongside his teammates.

Why now?

"... now that I'm stronger and less worried about getting bumped and things like that, it's nice to be able to be back and be able to come around more and be in the dugout," he said, per Greg Joyce of The New York Post.

That's huge.

Tuesday will be eight weeks since Cole's procedure, and per Joyce, the 2023 AL Cy Young winner has been out of a brace for two and a half weeks.

Cole is starting to get some range of motion back in his elbow, and for him to get the green light to be in a dugout that is unpredictable based on the emotion of a game, it's a good sign that his early recovery period is going well.

The Yankees won't have their ace back for some time.

Since he underwent reconstructive UCL surgery and an internal brace procedure, he's expected to be out of action for 14 months.

The next major hurdle for Cole is beginning to throw again in August.

From that point on, how his body recovers and reacts to pitching following the surgery will determine if he's able to return in April 2026 or not.

Until then, though, Cole will be in the New York clubhouse more often going forward.

"So I've been here every day, six days a week. But now I kind of get to extend my time while I'm here and be around the guys more, which is great," he added.