Gerrit Cole made his first appearance on the mound in 377 days, tossing a scoreless first inning on March 18 for the New York Yankees during a spring training game against the Boston Red Sox.
Cole threw ten pitches, seven of them strikes, including six four-seam fastballs that averaged 97.1 mph, with speeds ranging from 96.1 to 98.7 mph. With the 2026 MLB season on the horizon, it was a good first step for the veteran pitcher as New York awaits his return in the middle of the campaign.
After making his return to the mound, Cole spoke with YES Network’s Justin Shackil to share his thoughts on his one inning of work.
“I feel good coming out of it,” Cole said after his outing. “I had fun out there, and that’s really about it… It was a little bit different, a little more exciting knowing that I got to play today and not too much traffic. So, all in all, it was a good day from start to finish.”
Moreover, Cole shared where he feels his location is now that he’s facing opposing batters from other teams.
“It was not great [against the Red Sox], objectively,” Cole added. “So it has been really good recently. But probably today was the worst it’s been. I mean, it was serviceable for the most part, but I was just another level of intensity out there.
“The velocity crept up, and I guess it’s a bit predictable in that sense that doing those kinds of things for the first time, it’s not quite as sharp as it was in, you know, the other environment. But overall, you know, threw enough strikes, and I guess made enough pitches.”
Gerrit Cole Can Still Anchor Yankees’ Starting Rotation
Although Cole is 35 years old and coming off Tommy John, manager Aaron Boone believes that the veteran can still anchor New York’s starting rotation.
“I think so,” Boone told reporters on Feb. 13 (h/t SNY). “I’m not going to put anything past Gerrit Cole. Again, he’s so good at his craft. The success rate on these surgeries is usually pretty good, and the way the rehab process has gone would suggest that he’s going to return to form.
“I know sometimes that’s a work in progress. Sometimes, in the early starts, as you’re working your way back, everyone is different in that regard. But I’m not going to put any ceiling on what Gerrit could do once he’s back in the rotation.”
Aaron Boone Intends to Ease Gerrit Cole Back Into the Rotation
Moreover, Boone intends to ease Cole’s workload and doesn’t plan to make him a workhorse as soon as the Yankees star is ready to go. With New York eyeing a World Series win, it will be ideal to take their time with Cole to ensure that, once the fall comes around, Boone can take the reins off him.
“The reality is he didn’t pitch last year on top of having that surgery,” Boone added (h/t SNY). “We want to make sure we give him the proper time to make sure he is good and ready to come back, built up in a smart way.
“So no, we won’t rush that with him, even if it continues to go incredibly well. You’ve got to be cognizant of the innings that he missed last year, and you want to be able to maximize those as much as you can and have him in the best, safest position he is in once he returns to roll.”
Yankees’ Gerrit Cole Sends Clear Message on Mound Return