This page may contain affiliate links. If you click and sign up, make a deposit, or place a wager, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Cole (1-1) took the loss Wednesday against the Guardians, allowing four runs on six hits and one walk in 5.1 innings. He struck out two.
Following a pair of scoreless starts to begin his campaign, Cole stumbled quite a bit Wednesday. The 35-year-old right-hander served up three home runs in what also his shortest start of the year so far, but it was at least somewhat encouraging to see him reach the 80-pitch marker for the first time since coming off the injured list. Cole still has a strong 2.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 14:4 K:BB over 18 innings, and he's set for another crack at the Guardians in Cleveland his next time out.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Dazzles in win
Rotowire
Cole (1-0) scattered four hits and struck out 10 without walking a batter over 6.2 shutout innings to earn the win over the Royals on Wednesday.
This was Cole's second start since his return from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander has had limits on his workload over his first two starts this year, but it's hardly noticeable with how efficient he's been so far. Cole threw 59 of 79 pitches for strikes Wednesday and has logged 12.2 scoreless frames with a 12:3 K:BB over his first two starts. Cole should push into the 80-to-90-pitch range for his next outing, which is tentatively projected to come at home versus the Guardians next week.
Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Throws six scoreless in return
Rotowire
Cole did not factor into the decision in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Rays, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out two over six scoreless innings.
In his first major-league start in 569 days, Cole needed just 72 pitches to spin six scoreless frames. He generated only five whiffs but filled the zone with 50 strikes and limited the Rays to three hard-hit balls while averaging 96.1 mph on both his four-seamer and sinker. It was clearly an encouraging showing for the 35-year-old, who lines up for a road matchup against the Royals next week.
Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Activated for 2026 debut Friday
Rotowire
The Yankees activated Cole (elbow) from the 15-day injured list Friday.
The right-hander will make his 2026 season debut Friday against the Rays. Cole missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery and will make his first regular-season big-league start since Sept. 26, 2024. The 35-year-old made six rehab starts leading up to Friday's debut and posted a 4.66 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 28:3 K:BB across 29 innings.
Manager Aaron Boone announced Tuesday that Cole (elbow) will be reinstated from the 15-day injured list to make his season debut Friday versus the Rays, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
The Yankees ace is ready to make his first start in the big leagues since 2024 after being sidelined for the entirety of last season due to Tommy John surgery. Cole made six rehab appearances in the minor leagues, with his last outing coming with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, when he threw 86 pitches across 5.1 frames while giving up one run on six hits with six strikeouts and a walk. The right-hander shouldn't face significant workload restrictions given the length of his rehab assignment, though the Yankees are still likely to exercise some caution with his usage.
Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Could make season debut this week
Rotowire
Manager Aaron Boone said Monday that the Yankees are discussing the possibility of activating Cole (elbow) from the 15-day injured list and having him make his season debut this weekend against the Rays, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
The Yankees had previously planned for Cole to make one more rehab start this week, but that was before the right-hander struck out six over 5.1 innings of one-run ball in his latest rehab outing with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday. Elmer Rodriguez -- who had been filling the final slot in the Yankees rotation -- was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre earlier Monday, seemingly clearing the path for Cole's season debut, which would likely fall on Friday. Cole got his pitch count up to 86 on Sunday, so he's sufficiently stretched out. He's coming back from Tommy John surgery with an internal brace that he underwent in March 2025.
Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Sharp in Saturday's rehab start
Rotowire
Cole (elbow) allowed one run on six hits and one walk while striking out six across 5.1 innings in his rehab start with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Cole logged 56 strikes on 86 pitches (65.1 percent strike rate) and saw his fastball crack 99 mph during Saturday's rehab outing. It was an encouraging sign for the veteran right-hander, who continues to ramp up his activity and is in the final stages of his recovery from Tommy John surgery with an internal brace that he underwent in March of 2025. Cole is expected to make one more rehab start before returning to the Yankees' rotation.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Rehab moved to Triple-A
Rotowire
Cole (elbow) had his rehab assignment transferred from Double-A Somerset to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.
Cole has already made five rehab starts -- two with High-A Hudson Valley and three with Somerset. He threw 77 pitches over five frames in his most recent outing, so he appears close to being fully ramped up, though Yankees manager Aaron Boone stated following Cole's last appearance that he'll need at least two more rehab starts. Cole is slated to start for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, per YES Network, so he could still be ready to join the Yankees' rotation before the end of May.
1:17
0:56
0:50
0:56
1:16
1:36
1:50
1:37
1:25
9:27
1:36
10:06
0:37
0:37
1:16
0:58
0:37
