It’s been a long time coming, but New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole is set to make his return to the mound against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, manager Aaron Boone announced.
Gerrit Cole will make his season debut on Friday night vs. the Rays, @Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced.
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His last Major League game was October 30, 2024. pic.twitter.com/sh3VXuBNHO
— MLB (@MLB) May 19, 2026
It will mark the first time he’s started for the Yankees since the 2024 World Series. In March 2025, he had Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss the all of last season.
“It’s just a really long rehab,” Cole told The Associated Press on Saturday. “If you include the offseason from the year prior, it’s been about 17 months since I last performed at the big leagues, so no matter how you slice it, that’s a long time.”
He’s since made six rehab appearances at the Triple-A level, recording a 5.28 ERA in 29 innings. On Sunday, he threw 84 pitches with a fastball that reached 99.6 mph while allowing just one run.
This was more than enough for the Yankees to bring him back now, as opposed to having him make one more rehab start.
His return comes at a crucial time for the 29-19 Yankees, who have dropped eight of their last 12 games. He’ll now make his return on Friday against a Rays team that’s red-hot.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
