Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Gerrit Cole (elbow) could potentially make his season debut later this week.
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Yankees manager Aaron Boone indicated that pitcher Gerrit Cole could potentially make his season debut later this week after recovering from Tommy John surgery on his elbow. Cole missed the entire previous season but has been progressing through rehab assignments with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, throwing 86 pitches over 5 1/3 innings while maintaining his velocity at 97 mph on his fastball.
New York has an opening in their rotation for Friday's series opener against the division-rival Rays in Yankee Stadium after shipping rookie starter Elmer Rodriguez back to the minors. It's hardly official yet, but Cole would be making his first start in the big leagues since Game 5 of the World Series back in 2024 after missing all of last year recovering from Tommy John surgery. He threw 86 pitches, while averaging 97 mph on his four-seam fastball, over 5 1/3 innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in his latest rehab outing last weekend. It certainly sounds like a strong possibility Cole returns later this week. He should be rostered in all fantasy leagues.