SouthernWorldwide.com – Gerrit Cole is set to make his highly anticipated return to the New York Yankees this Friday, marking his first appearance since the 2024 World Series. This comes after a significant recovery period following Tommy John surgery.
Cole will officially debut in the 2026 season against the Tampa Bay Rays. His last outing for the Yankees was in the 2024 championship series.
The ace pitcher, aged 35, missed the entire 2025 season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow.
The Yankees’ starting rotation has been performing exceptionally well at the beginning of the 2026 campaign. However, Cole’s return is particularly timely with fellow ace Max Fried currently on the injured list due to his own elbow issues, expected to sideline him for approximately one month.
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Manager Aaron Boone announced Cole’s return on Tuesday, just before the team’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Boone had previously indicated on Monday that the team was considering allowing Cole to complete a seventh and final rehab start before his official season debut.
“We’ll see,” Boone stated before the Yankees secured a victory in their series opener against the Blue Jays. “We’re discussing it today and tomorrow, and we’ll make a decision one way or another.”
The decision seemed imminent, as evidenced by the Yankees optioning Elmer Rodriguez back to Triple-A. Rodriguez had pitched in place of Fried over the weekend against the New York Mets. The team subsequently called up reliever Yovanny Cruz rather than another starting pitcher.
Cole’s last appearance for the Yankees was during Game 4 of the 2024 World Series. This comeback marks a significant moment for the team’s ace pitcher. However, the Yankees have witnessed impressive pitching performances from other sources during Cole’s absence, including an unexpected emergence this season.
Cam Schlitter, a towering 6-foot-6 pitcher, is emerging as a strong contender for the American League Cy Young Award. He currently leads the league with a 1.35 ERA over 10 starts, six of which have been quality starts. With 68 strikeouts and only 11 walks in 60 innings pitched, he has firmly established himself as the current ace of the staff.
Schlitter’s breakthrough moment occurred in Game 3 of the Yankees’ Wild Card series against the Boston Red Sox last postseason. He has since demonstrated that this was not a one-off performance, proving to be the Yankees’ most consistent starter amidst a talented group that includes Fried, Carlos Rodon, and now Cole.
While Cole’s rehab starts did not yield stellar statistics, with a 5.28 ERA across 29 innings in six outings, his underlying metrics have been encouraging. His fastball was clocked at 99.6 mph in his most recent rehab start on Saturday, which was his best outing. In that appearance, he allowed only one run on six hits.
“He looks really good,” Boone added. “I think this [latest] outing was a little more with probably competition in mind, like going to get guys out and stepping on it stuff wise.”
Cole, who won the AL Cy Young Award in 2023, has been the Yankees’ ace since signing a nine-year, $324 million contract with the franchise in 2019.
