TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees are 10-3 in Grapefruit League play. The lineup has been mashing. Cam Schlittler made a strong spring debut Friday night. But the real story of this spring for the Yankees has always been the injury list. Three of the most important players in the Yankees organization are working their way back from significant surgeries, and the timeline for each one will shape how the 2026 season unfolds.
Here is where things stand with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Anthony Volpe as of March 8.
Cole’s fastball is back, and so is his command
The Yankees ace threw 30 pitches in a two-inning simulated game at Steinbrenner Field on Friday. It was his third time facing live hitters this spring for the Yankees, but the first across two full innings. His fastball topped out at 97.5 mph against the last batter he faced. He mixed in breaking balls. And for the first time, Aaron Boone watched the session from behind the mound.
“It actually felt good,” Cole said. “The second inning felt really good.”
What impressed Boone most was not the velocity. It was the command. For pitchers coming back from Tommy John surgery, command is typically the last piece to return. Cole appears ahead of schedule on that front.
“That’s what feels remarkable to me about what I’ve watched,” Boone said. “I know we’re talking about the stuff and obviously everyone gets excited about that, but how sharp he is is impressive.”
Cole underwent Tommy John surgery on March 13, 2025. He has maintained a 14-to-18-month return timeline. That puts his earliest possible return around May. The 2023 Cy Young winner told YES Network this week that the hardest part of the rehab has been the waiting.
“Just the waiting. The challenge of trying to take it day by day, not look too far ahead, and just kind of keep an even keel demeanor,” Cole said. “It’s a very long process.”
The Yankees are not putting a firm date on his return. But the velocity numbers and the command suggest he is tracking toward the first half of the season. That would be a major boost for the Yankees, whose rotation opens without its top three starters.
Rodon set to face hitters for the first time since surgery
Carlos Rodon threw another bullpen session on Saturday. He estimated it was around his 12th one of the spring. Now comes the next step. The Yankees left-hander is scheduled to face live hitters for the first time next week. It will be his first time pitching against batters since October surgery to remove loose bodies and shave down a bone spur in his elbow.
The procedure restored range of motion that Rodon had gradually lost over the course of 2025. By the end of last season, he could not fully bend his left arm. He told reporters he had to lean forward just to take a sip of water with his left hand because his elbow would not flex far enough.
“It’s different. Things have changed since last year or since the last few months,” Rodon said. “I’m still trying to figure out how everything moves again and just find the shapes.”
Despite the limitations, Rodon posted a 3.09 ERA during an All-Star season in 2025. Now, with full range of motion restored, the Yankees believe his stuff could be even sharper once he is fully built up. He has been sitting at an “easy 90-91” in bullpen sessions. That is encouraging for a pitcher who averaged 95.4 mph on his fastball last year.
Boone said earlier this spring that he does not expect the Rodon absence to be long. The Yankees manager watched him throw a bullpen in early February and liked what he saw. The Yankees are being cautious with the buildup, but a return in April remains possible if the live batting practice sessions go well.
“I need that,” Rodon said of facing hitters. The hunger is clear. The arm just needs to catch up.
Volpe clears the diving hurdle for the Yankees
Anthony Volpe’s left shoulder had been the biggest question mark of the position player group entering camp. The Yankees shortstop underwent surgery in October to repair a torn labrum, an injury that dated back to early May 2025 when he heard a “pop” while diving for a ball. He played through it for months. Two midseason cortisone shots kept him on the field, but his defense and his bat both suffered down the stretch. He lost playing time to Jose Caballero in September.
The tallest hurdle in his recovery was diving. He began doing it last week, and so far, the shoulder has held up.
“I feel like I’ve been able to handle everything thrown at me so far,” Volpe said Saturday.
He is swinging and described himself as being “in the middle of the hitting progression.” He has not yet advanced to live at-bats. There is no firm date for his return to Yankees game action, but the Yankees expect him back sometime in April or more likely May.
“I definitely feel like it’s healthy,” Volpe said of the shoulder. “I think I’m just progressing. The way I can tell it’s improving is it’s responding to the treatments. Every day is better.”
Until Volpe returns, Jose Caballero will handle shortstop for the Yankees. Oswaldo Cabrera, who made his own return from a broken ankle on Friday for the Yankees, adds infield depth as well. But Volpe is the long-term answer at the position for the Yankees. Getting him back healthy and confident in that shoulder is critical for the Yankees second half and any Yankees October plans.
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