Yankees Won't Use Shohei Ohtani Method With Gerrit Cole Rehab

The New York Yankees won't be using Shohei Ohtani as a yardstick in determining Gerrit Cole's return from Tommy John surgery.

"Brian Cashman told me they will not slow-play Cole in an Ohtani-like fashion to make sure there are postseason innings," the New York Post's Joel Sherman reports. "Still, there is a conscientiousness about not letting a rehabbing pitcher who feels good today, rush."

According to MLB.com's Sonja Chen, Ohtani returned to the mound last June following a nearly 22-month absence while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery. Ohtani, who had surgery in September of 2023, went 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 14 regular-season starts last year, striking out 62 in 47 innings.

Of course, the Dodgers had the luxury of slowly building up Ohtani's arm because he could still take at-bats as the club's designated hitter. The 31-year-old hit a career-high 55 home runs last season while on his way to winning his third straight MVP Award.

Road To Recovery

Needless to say, Cole's value to the Yankees is solely on the mound. So the idea of him working as a short-inning opener so he can finish his rehab in the majors doesn't sound practical.

"Because Ohtani was working his way back to the mound in addition to his daily duties as the Dodgers' DH, he chose to essentially complete his rehab at the big league level, building up an inning at a time over the last few months of the season," Chen reported. "In the postseason, the Dodgers loosened the reins and used him as a typical starter, and that should be the case going forward."

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Shohei Ohtani — Nov 1, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) throws pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning for game seven of the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Ohtani made four postseason starts for the Dodgers, going 2-1 with a 4.43 ERA to help Los Angeles win its second straight World Series title.

The Dodgers' 2024 title came at the Yankees' expense, but Cole wasn't to blame. He posted a 0.71 ERA in two World Series starts.

Injured Arms

Cole isn't the only Yankees pitcher on the road to recovery. Clarke Schmidt (Tommy John surgery) and Carlos Rodon (elbow surgery) also are expected to miss Opening Day.

“Gerrit Cole is probably not going to get back until June 1, and I was a little surprised by that because he had the brace surgery and that was in March, I thought he’d get back closer to the front of the year,” Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay said last month. “But, you know, he’s an older pitcher and they want to make sure he’s right. There’s a lot of starts to fill.”

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!