Yankees get huge news on Gerrit Cole's injury return timeline — and more

Yankees get huge news on Gerrit Cole's injury return timeline originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Gerrit Cole's comeback is firmly underway.

The New York Yankees' right-handed pitching ace missed the entire 2025 MLB season after Tommy John surgery. He's close to getting back for the 2026 campaign.

Cole isn't expected to be ready for Opening Day.

The desired timeline is now May, according to The Athletic's Chris Kirschner.

Cole threw against live hitters on Friday at Spring Training, touching 97 miles per hour on his fastball.

"The Yankees hope they'll watch Cole pitch in the regular season as early as May," Kirschner writes. "Friday’s outing was the first key step to make that timeline a reality."

MORE: There's one question Pirates phenom Konnor Griffin needs to answer

Kirschner adds that Cole's wife and two sons were there to watch his outing on Friday.

Clearly, his comeback from injury has a lot of meaning to a lot of people. 

Last season, the Yankees were planning on having a front of the rotation led by Cole and their new signing, Max Fried.

Instead, Fried had to hold down the ace duties himself. He did a great job, but when injuries to Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil arrived, too, the depth of the rotation was greatly tested.

To win big games, and in postseason series, the Yankees need to have their full allotment of pitching available to them.

Cole is still working his way back. But he's on his way. And that's great news for the Yankees to get on Friday.

More MLB news:

• Team USA has a finalized WBC roster and an awesome lineup
• Dominican Republic WBC roster is loaded with stars
• An Edwin Diaz nightmare looms for the Mets
• Buster Posey will change Hall of Fame voting forever
• How Jose Ramirez is on pace to become Cleveland's Derek Jeter
• Yankees have signed a catcher from the country of Hungary

Texas A&M's move to the Southeastern Conference in 2012 could go down as one of the best realignment jumps in college football history.

That's according to On3 Sports college football analyst Andy Staples, who recently released a list of which schools should be the happiest with their respective moves in the 2010s.

The Aggies top the list as what Staples believes should be most content, after 14 years in the SEC. While Texas A&M has yet to capture the league championship since joining the conference, the program has consistently stamped itself as one of the premier football programs every year.

Former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel played a massive role in ushering in the new era in Bryan-College Station. College football legends like wideout Mike Evans, defensive end Myles Garrett and many others dedicated their time in the Maroon and White to set the program up for future success in the SEC, which helped put more of the national spotlight on Texas A&M.

Reading former Nebraska AD Bill Moos’ book — where he writes about meeting with Bob Bowlsby in 2020 about a potential return to the Big 12 — got me thinking about the realignment moves of the 2010s.

So I ranked them based on who should be happiest…https://t.co/LZLWDwtrL1pic.twitter.com/X526HWtfND

— Andy Staples (@AndyStaples) February 19, 2026

Through 14 seasons in the league, the Aggies boast a 64-49 record against conference foes, while also competing in 12 bowl games. Texas A&M reached the eight-win mark in 11 of 14 seasons, with head coach Mike Elko securing the school's first back-to-back eight-win campaigns since 2020 and 2021, in his first two campaigns at the helm.

Since the Aggies joined the SEC in 2012, the landscape of college athletics has been through dramatic shifts and changes. The transfer portal and NIL have opened up doors that many thought would remain closed. Texas A&M has been forced to adapt to those changes, along with the other SEC programs, but the Aggies' leadership has done well navigating through the obstacles.

After the most historically successful campaign since 1992, the Aggies are reeling in some of the best recruits in the nation to compete on the largest stage in college football, as Elko landed the No. 4 transfer portal class and No. 7 recruiting class in the 2026 rankings. Texas A&M's realignment to the SEC over a decade ago has carved a path for the school to be in the national spotlight for years to come.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.

This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: On3 Sports analyst ranks Texas A&M as happiest of 2010s realignment

Michael Carrick praised Manchester United's "diversity" after the club's co-owner Jim Ratcliffe caused controversy by claiming the United Kingdom has been "colonised by immigrants".

Ratcliffe was widely criticised for his outburst last week and later apologised if his remarks had "offended some people".

According to reports on Friday, Ratcliffe will not face a Football Association charge after the governing body last week said it was looking into his rant.

Facing the media on Friday for the first time since Ratcliffe's incendiary comments, United interim manager Carrick highlighted his club's inclusive attitude.

"Sir Jim has made a statement, and then the club's made a statement on the back of it so for me to add to that is not my place. What I can say is, as I've been around this club many, many years, we always make a huge impact globally," Carrick told reporters on Friday.

"We're really proud of the environment and the culture that we've got at the club, and equality and diversity and respect for each other is something that we look to carry through every day."

Carrick spent 12 years as a decorated United midfielder and is in his second spell as a temporary boss following Ruben Amorim's sacking in January.

The 44-year-old is deeply engrained in United's culture and has no doubts about the integrity of the club's efforts to be welcoming to people of all ethnicities.

"Part of being at this club is we understand what it is like globally and the responsibilities we have," he said.

"I can only speak from my experiences, I have been here for a long time with various managers, various staff, all backgrounds, different backgrounds and it is something I am fully aware of. I am proud of what the club stands for."

Carrick is confident that the controversy generated by Ratcliffe's views will not have a negative affect on his multi-national squad.

"We have got a really strong group whether that is the players and the staff and around the club. I think we are in constant communication anyway and speak to each other and help each other," Carrick said ahead of Monday's Premier League clash at Everton.

"The boys have been in really good spirits this week. We are looking forward to the next game. We are here to help each other and support each other."

smg/mw

Ex-Chiefs star nets in middle east

Photo: Jeddah SC

Former Kaizer Chiefs striker Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana found the back of the net as Jeddah SC played to a 2-2 draw with Al-Adalah in the Saudi First Division.

The 28-year-old centre-forward entered the fray in the 87th minute to earn his side a draw deep in stoppage time.

Interestingly, Bimenyimana canceled out another ex-Chiefs attacker Ranga Chivaviro, who thought he had scored the winner in the 57th minute.

The Burundi international has scored five goals in 14 matches across all competitions since completing a move to the Middle East.

Bimenyimana has become somewhat of a nomadic figure as Jeddah SC marks the 11th club of his professional career.