Cole didn't factor into the decision in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader split with the Pirates, giving up three runs on four hits over seven innings. He struck out 11 without walking a batter.
The 35-year-old right-hander was back in Cy Young form, setting new season highs in innings and strikeouts, but Cole did serve up homers to Jacob Gonzalez in the fifth inning and Nick Gonzales in the seventh to account for all the damage off him. Cole has been taken deep 11 times in 62 innings since making his 2026 debut in late May, marring what's otherwise been an impressive return from elbow surgery last March. He'll take a 3.92 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 66:12 K:BB into his next start, which is set to come on the road early next week against the White Sox.
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Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Starting Game 1 of doubleheader
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Cole will take the mound in Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader against Pittsburgh, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Cole recorded his second straight quality start in his last outing, tossing six innings of two-run ball against the Dodgers on Friday. After a pair of disappointing starts in late June, the right-hander has posted a 3.63 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 21 strikeouts over 17.1 innings in his last three turns in the rotation. Cole hasn't turned in a scoreless outing since he recorded back-to-back scoreless starts upon his return from the IL in late May, and Wednesday will be a tough test against a red-hot Pirates offense that has scored five or more runs in five of their last eight contests.
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Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Takes tough loss Friday
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Cole (3-5) took the loss Friday, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk over six-plus innings as the Yankees fell 2-1 to the Dodgers. He struck out eight.
The veteran righty took a shutout into the seventh inning, but a leadoff walk to Mookie Betts was followed by a Max Muncy homer, and that was all the offense the visitors would need. Cole had to settle for his second straight quality start and fifth in 10 trips to the mound since he made his belated season debut in late May, and he'll take a 3.93 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 55:12 K:BB through 55 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come at home next week against the Pirates.
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Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Logs quality start in loss
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Cole (3-4) took the loss against the Rays on Wednesday, allowing three runs on seven hits and one walk with six strikeouts over 6.1 innings.
Cole yielded a run in three separate frames and surrendered nine hard-hit balls but filled the strike zone with 69 strikes on 97 pitches in his fourth quality start of the campaign. The 35-year-old has been more good than bad since coming off the injured list to make his season debut in late May, allowing three or fewer earned runs in six of his nine starts. He'll head into the All-Star break with a 4.04 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 47:11 K:BB across 49 innings.
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Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Survives rain delay to collect win
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Cole (3-3) picked up the win in Friday's 5-2 victory over the Twins, giving up two runs on five hits over five innings. He struck out seven without walking a batter.
The veteran right-hander had to cool his heels during a 53-minute rain delay in the middle of the third inning, but Cole returned to the mound and stayed in for two more frames to make sure he qualified for the win, finally getting lifted after 88 pitches (63 strikes). Cole did serve up another homer, a solo shot to Kody Clemens in the first inning, but Cole's seven strikeouts represent his highest total since he fanned 10 back on May 27, his second outing of the season. Through eight starts since his belated 2026 debut, Cole has a 4.01 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 41:10 K:BB over 42.2 innings. He's set to make his next start on the road next week in Tampa Bay.
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Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Hurt by long ball at Fenway
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Cole (2-3) took the loss Saturday as the Yankees fell 4-1 to the Red Sox, giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk over 5.1 innings. He struck out five.
Solo shots by Masataka Yoshida in the first inning and Anthony Seigler in the second staked Boston to an early lead it wouldn't relinquish. It's only the second time in seven starts this season that Cole has served up multiple homers. After two scoreless outings in May, June has been a lot less kind to the veteran right-hander -- he carries a 6.12 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 22:7 K:BB over five starts (25 innings) on the month. Cole will look to bounce back in his next trip to the mound, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Twins.
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Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Stumbles in second loss
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Cole (2-2) took the loss Monday against the Tigers, allowing five runs on nine hits and one walk in 4.1 innings. He struck out five.
It was perhaps a season-worst outing for Cole, who surrendered a season-high nine hits and five runs Monday. The 35-year-old right-hander had fired 12.2 scoreless innings to begin the season, but he's struggled to the tune of a 5.95 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 19.2 frames during the month of June. Cole will be trying to right the ship his next time out in Boston, where he'll carry a 3.62 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 29:9 K:BB over 32.1 innings.
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Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Limits White Sox for second win
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Cole (2-1) earned the win Tuesday against the White Sox, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out six over six innings.
Andrew Benintendi took Cole deep in the first inning to give Chicago an early lead, but the right-hander quickly settled in and retired 13 consecutive batters through the middle innings. He ran into trouble in the sixth when Luisangel Acuna's single with the bases loaded brought home a run, but Cole escaped the jam and stranded three runners to survive the inning. The former AL Cy Young winner threw 90 pitches for the first time this season Tuesday and has now recorded three quality starts in five outings since returning. Cole continues to build momentum, posting a 2.57 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 24:8 K:BB across 28 innings. He is scheduled to make his next start at home against the Reds.
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Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Takes no-decision in short outing
Rotowire
Cole did not factor into the decision Tuesday against Cleveland, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four across four innings.
Cole was clean through the first two innings before a messy third frame changed the mood of his outing. The right-hander allowed five consecutive baserunners, leading to both runs he surrendered, and he lasted just one more inning before being lifted at 83 pitches. The lack of strikeouts was notable, as Cole has now recorded fewer than five punchouts in three of his four starts since returning from the injured list. Still, Cole owns a 2.45 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 18:6 K:BB across 22 innings. The Yankees continue to manage his workload as he builds back up, but he'll look to turn in a more complete outing when he faces the White Sox at home in his next scheduled start.
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Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Dazzles in win
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Making 2026 debut Friday
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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.
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Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Sharp in Saturday's rehab start
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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.
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Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Rehab moved to Triple-A
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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.
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Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Reaches 77 pitches in rehab start
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Cole (elbow) completed five innings in his rehab start with Double-A Somerset on Sunday, allowing two earned runs on four hits and one walk while striking out eight batters.
Cole made the fifth start of his rehab assignment as he continues to ramp up in his recovery from Tommy John surgery with an internal brace, which he underwent March 11, 2025. The veteran hurler threw 77 pitches Sunday -- his most so far during his rehab stint -- and kept the ball in the park for the first time in those five starts. Prior to Sunday's outing, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Cole would need at least two more rehab starts before being activated from the 15-day injured list, so the veteran right-hander will remain on assignment in the minors during the upcoming week.
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Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Scheduled for next rehab start
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Cole (elbow) will make his next rehab start with Double-A Somerset on Sunday, Casey Drottar of MLB.com reports.
It will be Cole's fifth minor-league start since he embarked on a rehab assignment in mid-April. He tossed 69 pitches in his last outing Tuesday with High-A Hudson, but the veteran right-hander appears to need more reps while continuing to recover from March 2025 Tommy John surgery. Across his four minor-league starts, Cole has a 6.27 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 14:1 K:BB across 18.2 innings, yielding six home runs in that span. Yankees manager Aaron Boone relayed to reporters Saturday that he expects Cole to make at least two more rehab starts but potentially three, which means Cole might not be back with the big club until late May or early June.
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Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Next rehab start set for Tuesday
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Cole (elbow) will make another minor-league rehab appearance with High-A Hudson Valley on Tuesday, per MLB.com.
Cole has so far completed three minor-league starts (one with Hudson Valley and two with Double-A Somerset) and has recorded a 5.02 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 10:1 K:BB through 14.1 innings. In his most recent outing, the veteran righty worked 5.2 frames and threw 60 pitches while sitting at 93-96 mph with his fastball. The Yankees haven't announced how many more rehab starts Cole will make, but it seems to be at least a possibility that if his outing Tuesday goes well, Cole's following start will be in an MLB contest.
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Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Reaches sixth inning in rehab start
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Cole (elbow) struck out three and allowed allowed three earned runs on three hits and zero walks across 5.2 innings Wednesday in his rehab start with Double-A Somerset.
Making the third start of his rehab assignment, Cole retired the first 11 batters he faced and allowed just three baserunners on the day, though two of the hits he gave up left the yard. He spotted 45 of his 60 pitches for strikes during the outing and mixed in four pitches while sitting between 93 and 96 miles per hour with his velocity. Though his velocity remains down a few ticks from where it sat before he underwent Tommy John surgery last March, Cole's control has been excellent throughout his first three minor-league appearances; he's walked just one batter across 14.1 innings. The 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner is expected to make at least one more start in the minors before the Yankees decide if he's ready to come off the injured list for his 2026 big-league debut.
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Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Shifting rehab back to Double-A
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Yankees manager Aaron Boone said thatCole (elbow) will make his next rehab appearance with Double-A Somerset on Wednesday, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.
Cole opened his rehab assignment with Somerset on April 17 before moving to High-A Hudson Valley for his second start this past Thursday, when he allowed two runs on five hits while striking out four batters across 4.1 innings. The 35-year-old right-hander is eligible to be activated from the injured list at any point, but because he's working his way back from March 2025 Tommy John surgery, the Yankees are likely to keep him on assignment in the minors for most, if not all, of the allotted 30-day rehab window. He'll likely make at least one more start with a minor-league affiliate following Wednesday's outing.
