Gerrit

Cole

Cole was checked on by the trainer following an odd play in the third in which he slid into first after being late to cover and tagged the bag with his pitching hand. However, he was able to remain in, and there was no early indication that it had anything to do with his exit. Cole threw 83 pitches to get his 12 outs tonight, which was probably why he didn’t come out for the fifth. His velocity was great; he averaged 97.6 mph with his fastball and actually peaked at 100.0. However, he walked two and hit a batter, with a catcher’s interference also driving up his pitch count. The Yankees are off Thursday and Monday, so Cole figures to make his next start next Tuesday against the White Sox.

Cole was charged with four runs on six hits and one walk while striking out two. The former Cy Young winner pitched much better in his first two outings back from Tommy John, including a 10-strikeout gem last time out. The homers were the first he had given up. He’ll look to get back on track next time out in the same matchup against the Guardians, but this time in Cleveland.

Now this is Gerrit Cole. He was utterly dominant facing just three batters over the minimum and forcing 15 swings-and-misses. He got some help from his defense too when Aaron Judge threw a strike to nail Michael Massey at home plate. After that, just one more Royal reached scoring position as the righties had fits trying to put a bat on Cole’s slider and lefties the same with his changeup. It was all held up by his fastball that consistently sat around 97 mph and Cole was able to spot it wherever he wanted. This looked like one of the best pitchers in the league, as Cole has been for the better part of the last decade. Keep an eye on his workload, as he hasn’t gone above 80 pitches yet in two starts off the injured list. He’s scheduled to face the Guardians next time out.

Cole allowed a leadoff single to Chandler Simpson in the first inning and followed that off with a walk to Junior Caminero. Despite the rough start, Cole would get Jonathan Aranda to fly out and then picked off Simpson at second and struck out Yandy Díaz to end the threat. Cole settled in after that, pitching four-straight scoreless frames while at one point needing just 11 pitches combined to get through the third and fourth innings. The veteran righty was in command all night, throwing a first pitch strike to 18 of the 22 batters he faced while seemingly hitting all of his spots. The Yankees couldn’t have asked for a much better start from Cole, who made his first regular-season appearance since September 26, 2024. He’ll look to ride this hot start into his next outing, which is scheduled for Wednesday at the Royals.

Cole is set for his first big-league start since the end of 2024. The former Cy Young winner missed all of last season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He’s facing the Rays at home to kick off Memorial Day weekend.

It’s happening. Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed that Cole will make his return to Yankee Stadium for his first start since Game 5 of the World Series back in 2024. The 35-year-old former fantasy ace has looked extremely sharp in recent rehab outings after missing all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. He averaged a crisp 97 mph and threw 86 pitches over 5 1/3 innings in his final rehab tune-up last weekend, which means he shouldn’t have any workload restrictions during his season debut. Get your popcorn ready.

New York has an opening in their rotation for Friday’s series opener against the division-rival Rays in Yankee Stadium after shipping rookie starter Elmer Rodríguez back to the minors. It’s hardly official yet, but Cole would be making his first start in the big leagues since Game 5 of the World Series back in 2024 after missing all of last year recovering from Tommy John surgery. He threw 86 pitches, while averaging 97 mph on his four-seam fastball, over 5 1/3 innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in his latest rehab outing last weekend. It certainly sounds like a strong possibility Cole returns later this week. He should be rostered in all fantasy leagues.

Cole’s sixth minor league rehab start saw him throw 86 pitches and walk one batter. He averaged 97.0 mph with his fastball, which is 1.1 mph better than when he was last seen in 2024. It sure seems like he would have been fine to rejoin the rotation this weekend had the Yankees wanted him to. As is, though, he’s slated to make a seventh rehab start next week before being activated.

The move is now official. The Yankees haven’t provided a definitive return timeline but fantasy managers should anticipate Fried missing at least a couple weeks. The encouraging news is that an MRI and CT scan didn’t reveal any structural damage in his elbow. The 32-year-old fantasy ace hits the shelf after exiting Wednesday’s start against the Orioles after just 61 pitches. He’s posted a strong 3.21 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 50/19 K/BB ratio across 61 2/3 innings this season. It’ll be rookie Elmer Rodríguez taking his spot in New York’s rotation until Gerrit Cole (elbow) is ready to make his season debut in late May or early June.

Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone told reporters on Friday that Cole is still likely to make an additional rehab start after Saturday’s outing and the team won’t accelerate his timeline in an effort to replace the injured Max Fried (elbow). Cole threw 69 pitches over 4 1/3 innings his last time out and should get to around 80 pitches during Saturday’s start.