Gerrit Cole’s return to the New York Yankees rotation could be coming sooner than expected. Aaron Boone said that the idea of Cole making his next start Friday at Yankee Stadium was “on the table.”
Cole, 35, is returning to the big league after March 2025 Tommy John surgery. He threw 86 pitches over 5 1/3 innings for Triple-A Scranton on Saturday. The original plan had Cole making one more minor-league rehab start.
The Yankees have likely lost Max Fried for a month or two due to a bone bruise. Carlos Rodon struggled after beginning the season on the injured list.
Still, Boone told reporters they would not rush Cole back because of holes in the rotation.
“A need doesn’t necessarily mean we’re bringing him back,” Boone said, while also acknowledging it is something that the Yankees have “on the table.”
Cole will return to a significantly different rotation. The Yankees have managed fairly well without him because of the emergence of Cam Schlittler, who has a 1.35 ERA this season, and Will Warren, who has a 2.49 ERA. Fried was pitching to a 2.09 ERA before he got hurt. The Yankees’ rotation has a 3.10 ERA, the best in the majors.
He has not pitched in the big leagues in nearly 17 months, not since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series. He had elbow surgery on March 11, 2025.
The right-hander was limited to 17 starts and 95 innings in the regular season in 2024 because of a nerve issue that the team said was unrelated to the torn UCL that shut him down for 2025.
Cole was the unanimous 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner with 15 wins, a 2.63 ERA and 222 strikeouts in 209 innings.
Over 12 major league seasons, Cole has a 3.18 ERA and 2,251 strikeouts with the Pirates, Astros and Yankees.
Cole signed a $324-million, nine-year contract with New York in December 2019. He is making $36 million a year through 2028.
The Yankees host the first-place Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gerrit Cole injury update: Latest as return to the Yankees nears