Expect Gerrit Cole to continue his Yankees mentorship even from injured list

TAMPA — At least for the first two months of the season, the Yankees will dearly miss handing Gerrit Cole the ball every five days. 

But even when Cole has been an active pitcher for the club, the reigning AL Cy Young award winner has also made his impact felt on those four days in between starts as an extra pitching coach, sounding board and baseball mind for the rest of the rotation. 

In that regard, it would surprise no one if Cole takes that responsibility to another level while he tries to make his way back from nerve inflammation and edema in his elbow. 

Gerrit Cole will be out for at least the first two months of the Yankees’ season. Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

“I’ll do everything I can to try to contribute to us winning a game,” Cole said Saturday morning at Steinbrenner Field. 

Cole will at least make the first road trip of the season with the team — four games against the Astros and three against the Diamondbacks — while the renovations to the facilities at Yankee Stadium are still being completed. 

Beyond that, Cole was not yet sure of his schedule — he could be in line to start throwing sometime during the Yankees’ first homestand — but whether he travels with the team or not, he will almost certainly continue to have a hand in helping out the rest of the pitching staff. 

“Gerrit’s always looking to contribute in whatever way he can, whether it’s on the field or in the throwing programs with the guys,” pitching coach Matt Blake said.

“But in particular right now, while he can’t be on the field, I think it’ll be the voice of reason for a lot of these guys. How we’re looking at the other team, what they’re doing with their stuff. So I think it’ll probably elevate a little bit while he’s around and looking for things to do.” 

That said, Cole is keeping himself plenty busy while diving into an unfamiliar process: rehab.

It is uncharted territory for him, never having been on the injured list for an arm issue before now, but he is said to be approaching it with the full energy that he would with anything else under the umbrella of perfecting his craft. 

Cole is in the midst of a three-to-four-week shutdown from throwing, but he is keeping his arm “live” by doing plyometrics and arm movements so that he is not completely starting from scratch when he begins throwing again. 

Cole is undergoing a four-week shutdown from throwing, where he is doing plyometrics and arm movements to keep his arm active. AP

But he will also continue to find time to keep an eye on his fellow pitchers. 

“I think he’s going to have a good balance of it, because he’s really locked in on his recovery stuff right now, I can tell,” Clarke Schmidt said. “He’s super focused on it. So I think that’ll take a lot of his attention, but Gerrit’s still going to be Gerrit. So I think he’s going to be just as involved, if not more.” 

Cole has been known to sit in on his teammates’ bullpen sessions, and he will also be among the first to debrief their outings with them. 

“It’s like you get out, you go to your locker and he’s sitting right next to you by the time you take your clothes off,” Schmidt said with a chuckle. 

Cole’s absence on the mound has created a battle for the fifth starter job, which is likely to come down to Luis Gil or Will Warren.

Cole praised Gil’s fastball and how advanced Warren is for only being 24, noting how well he can handle the information that comes his way. 

Gil tossed the first four innings in the win over the Mets on Friday. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

As for the state of the rotation in the final days of camp, Cole pointed to how workmanlike the rest of the starters’ approaches have been, plugging along and making the necessary adjustments through a “rather uneventful” spring. 

Of course, Cole’s injury has been the big event for the Yankees’ rotation, but it still stands to benefit from his presence while he is out. 

“Having Gerrit behind us, Gerrit’s always helping us out,” Marcus Stroman said. “That’s what people don’t realize — Gerrit’s so in tune with all of us and always talking to us analytically, pitch-wise, pitch grip, mechanically, just helping us get dialed in. I know he’ll be out, but I know how much he’ll be in tune with all of us and helping us while he is on the sidelines.”