As New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole revealed on Thursday, even when not pitching, fellow starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt often finds ways to frustrate opposing players.For big leaguers, taking questions before and after games is the norm. However, on Thursday, Yankees stars Cole, Will Warren, Schmidt and Oswaldo Cabrera had a special assignment on their hands. Replacing the usual crowd of journalists, local little leaguers were invited for a kids-only conference.Naturally, plenty of hilarious questions followed, as the youngsters tried to get valuable insights into the daily lives of some of their favorite players. One such question was directed to Cole, as a kid asked him who he thought was his funniest teammate.Cole named teammate Clarke Schmidt, revealing how the 29-year-old's witty antics from the dugout, calling out opposing players, never fail to bring a smile to his face."Funniest teammate? Who makes us laugh the most? Clarke [Schmidt] makes us laugh a lot," Cole said. "He's got a lot of witty reactions in the dugout, when the opposing team is not playing really well, he likes to let them know with his words and his sounds."For example, if you were an opposing pitcher, and you threw a ball way outside, you might hear out of the corner of your ear: 'Woah!' Or, if you threw it a little bit too low, again, you might hear 'That ball is down and low! You're gonna need to bring it up.' So, he's always keeping it light for us in the dugout." View this post on Instagram Instagram PostGerrit Cole took his first steps in recovery from Tommy John surgery in mid-AugustDuring spring training, the Yankees were handed a huge injury blow as ace Gerrit Cole complained of elbow soreness. After further examination, it was determined that Tommy John surgery was the best course of action, and Cole went under the knife on March 11.Targeting a return at some point early in the 2026 season, Cole took his first steps towards recovery on August 12. He threw about 20 pitches from flat ground in the Yankee Stadium outfield, as reported by insider Bryan Hoch.Seattle Mariners v New York Yankees - Source: GettyCole is reportedly looking at about a 14-month recovery timeline and will begin pitching on a mound at some point towards the end of the year.A six-time All-Star and a Cy Young award winner in 2023, Cole is one of the best in the business, and fans hope everything goes smoothly in the ace's rehab.