NEW YORK -- Gerrit Cole stood on the field at Yankee Stadium during batting practice on Tuesday, gazing toward the upper deck, where thousands of empty blue seats stood sentry. In just a few days’ time, they will be filled with fans cheering his return from Tommy John surgery.
After returning to New York following his most recent Minor League rehab start, Cole told the Yankees, “I’m ready.” They agreed; the 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner will be activated from the injured list on Friday, making his season debut against the Rays.
“It’s just a blessing to play the game,” Cole said. “You get a better sense of that once you’re removed from it. Getting back into that environment and not having taken that for granted, it’s exciting, for sure. That’s probably what I’m most excited about.”
Cole touched 99.6 mph in his most recent Minor League rehab start for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He will be making his first big league start since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, having successfully recovered from surgery performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in March 2025.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone had initially expected Cole to take one more turn in the Minors, having thrown 86 pitches and set to repeat that number.
But when Cole arrived at Citi Field on Sunday, reporting that he felt great -- with Statcast data and video to support it -- the Yankees shifted their plans, optioning rookie right-hander Elmer Rodríguez to Triple-A on Monday.
“We just felt like he has done everything he needs to be ready to compete now at this level,” Boone said. “So I’ll be really excited to get him back. I’m excited for him, knowing the long road that it’s been -- the blood, sweat and tears you put in the rehab process to get back.”
Though Cole is back a turn sooner than expected, the Yankees said the decision was not a knee-jerk reaction after left-hander Max Fried landed on the 15-day injured list with a bone bruise in his pitching elbow. Rather, it represents a nod to how smoothly Cole’s recovery has gone.
“I’m confident; I’m optimistic,” Cole said. “I definitely know there’s some work in front of us. It’s just the right time to take the next step.”
After making two appearances during Spring Training, Cole has worked 29 Minor League innings, permitting 17 runs (15 earned) for a 4.66 ERA. He has allowed 28 hits and issued three walks while striking out 28.
“I think I’ve watched every pitch of every rehab outing,” Boone said. “I feel like it’s going really well. You can tell in certain outings where he’s working on different things within that game. To me, it looks really good.”
14 months later, Cole is thankful for a few aspects of the rehab process -- most notably, being able to spend additional time with his young boys last summer. Cole said it has also taught him the value of patience.
“It’s funny,” Cole said. “You take an extra day early here, an extra week early, and you think, ‘This is never going to end.’ But then you end up showing up right on time. It’s funny how it works out that way, because it didn’t feel very quick. Yet it’s been very efficient and optimal.”