Gerrit Cole is finally ready for his New York Yankees return since having Tommy John surgery.
Cole will make his 2026 season debut on Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays - his first start for the Yankees since 2024.
Cole, 35, missed the entirety of the 2025 campaign after undergoing surgery to repair a tear in his right UCL.
The Yankees’ starting pitching staff has been stellar to start the 2026 campaign, but Cole’s return comes at a perfect time as fellow ace Max Fried is on injured reserve with an elbow injury. He is expected to miss around one month.
Manager Aaron Boone made the announcement Tuesday before the team’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Cole hasn’t pitched for the Yankees since Game 4 of the 2024 World Series. The Yankees have seen ace-like pitching elsewhere since then, including 6-foot-6 flamethrower Cam Schlittler, who leads the American League in ERA (1.35) and has 68 strikeouts across 60 innings.
Cole’s rehab starts showed a 5.28 ERA across 29 innings, but his fastball hit 99.6 mph. He won the AL Cy Young in 2023 and signed a nine-year, $324 million contract in 2019.