Gerrit Cole pitches every night before going to bed. He closes his eyes and pictures being on the mound at Yankee Stadium because visualizing is all he’ll be able to do until 2026, at the earliest, as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

Right now, the New York Yankees are akin to a poker player. In order to win, they depend on an ace. With the season and the American League East still tight and a pitching staff struggling to maintain any semblance of consistency,

His right elbow scarred and his season ruined before it began, Gerrit Cole has not allowed Tommy John surgery to stop him from pitching. “I still pitch before I go to bed every night,” the Yankees’ sidelined ace said Monday.