Gerrit Cole returns to Yankees rotation for first start since 2024

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.

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Gerrit Cole pitches for the Hudson Valley Renegades during Thursday’s game versus the Brooklyn Cyclones on April 23, 2026. (Patrick Oehler/Poughkeepsie Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

The Yankees’ starting pitching staff has been a stellar group to start the 2026 campaign, but Cole’s return comes at a perfect time as fellow ace Max Fried in on the injured reserve with an elbow injury of his own. He is expected to miss around one month.

Manager Aaron Boone, who announced the move for Cole on Tuesday before the team’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, said on Monday that the Yankees were considering sticking with the original plan of having Cole make a seventh and final rehab start before his season debut with the team.

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“We’ll see,” he said prior to the Yankees winning its series opener against the Blue Jays. ‘We’re kind of talking about that here today, tomorrow, and we’ll make a call one way or another.”

The writing appeared to be on the wall, though, as the Yankees optioned Elmer Rodriguez, who started in place of Fried against the New York Mets over the weekend, back down to Triple-A. They called up reliever Yovanny Cruz instead of getting another starter in the clubhouse.

Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees stands for the national anthem during a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium in New York on April 16, 2026. (New York Yankees/Getty Images)

Cole hasn’t pitched for the Yankees since Game 4 of the 2024 World Series, making this quite the comeback for the franchise’s ace. However, the Yankees have seen some ace-like pitching elsewhere since then, including an unexpected place this season.

Cam Schlitter, the 6-foot-6 flamethrower, is in the early running for American League Cy Young Award winner. He currently leads the league in ERA (1.35) across his 10 outings, six of which being deemed quality starts. He has 68 strikeouts to 11 walks across 60 total innings, cementing himself as the ace on the staff right now.

Schlittler’s big moment came for the Yankees in Game 3 of their Wild Card series against the Boston Red Sox this past postseason, but he’s followed that up by showing it wasn’t a one-and-done moment. Instead, he’s been the Yankees most consistent starter in a group filled with elite talent like Fried, Carlos Rodon and now Cole.

Now, Cole hasn’t had the best numbers in his rehab starts, owning a 5.28 ERA across 29 innings in six outings. However, his metrics have checked the boxes, including a fastball that topped out at 99.6 mph this past Saturday in what was his best rehab outing. He allowed just one run on six hits.

Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees warms up prior to a game against the Boston Red Sox at George M. Steinbrenner Field on March 18, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. The Yankees beat the Red Sox, 1-0. (Photo by Leah King/Diamond Images via Getty Images) (Leah King/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

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“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 won the AL Cy Young in 2023 and has been the Yankees’ ace since signing with the franchise in 2019 on a nine-year, $324 million contract.

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