The New York Yankees revealed Friday that Gerrit Cole will not have his rehab accelerated despite Max Fried landing on the injured list, signaling the club is willing to survive a mounting rotation crisis rather than risk its $324 million ace’s long-term health, according to a report by MLB.com Yankees correspondent Bryan Hoch.
It is the exact scenario New York spent more than half a billion dollars trying to avoid — and yet, by Friday afternoon, both of the Yankees’ projected Opening Day aces were unavailable simultaneously.
Hoch reported Friday that manager Aaron Boone confirmed the Yankees have no plans to fast-track Cole’s minor league progression. Two more rehab outings are the likely path before the six-time All-Star rejoins the big-league club, pointing toward an early June activation at the soonest.
New York Post insider Joel Sherman added that with Fried headed to the IL, the club’s preference is to call up pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez for at least one start, maybe more, in the short term rather than push Cole back ahead of schedule.
Yankees’ Cole Rehab Plans and What Comes Next
Cole is 14 months removed from Tommy John surgery performed March 11, 2025, which wiped out his entire season. His last competitive appearance in the majors came in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series on Oct. 30. Through five minor league rehab outings, he carries a 5.32 ERA, a number the Yankees are not treating as a red flag given the controlled nature of post-surgical ramp-ups.
Boone telegraphed a cautious posture on Cole’s timeline in late April, noting at that point that fellow rehabber Carlos Rodón was tracking closer to a return. Cole, signed through 2028 on a nine-year, $324 million deal, boasts career marks of 153 wins, a 3.18 ERA and 2,251 strikeouts across 317 starts. The Yankees are not going to jeopardize a freshly repaired elbow by rushing him back too soon. Early June remains the target.
Yankees No. 2 overall prospect Rodriguez, 22, gives New York a bridge. He owns a 1.38 ERA in five Triple-A starts this season and has already made his MLB debut, logging 8.2 innings at the big-league level in 2026. The club views him as rotation-ready for a brief stretch, though not a long-term fill-in.
Fried’s Bone Bruise Deepens Yankees’ Rotation Worries
Fried was placed on the 15-day IL Friday after MRI and CT scans confirmed a bone bruise in his left elbow. He exited Wednesday’s 7-0 loss in Baltimore after just three innings, describing a hyperextension sensation at the back of the joint that had flared intermittently throughout the season before finally refusing to quiet down.
Team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad examined Fried on Thursday, with renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache set to review the imaging in the coming days. The Yankees will not establish a throwing program until follow-up scans are taken in a few weeks, meaning the return timeline is genuinely open-ended for now.
“I’m definitely bummed that I’m going to have to be missing some time,” Fried told reporters, as quoted by MLB.com. “But overall happy that it doesn’t look like it’s gonna be anything serious. No surgery required or anything like that.”
The Yankees now face a delicate balancing act over the next several weeks as they try to stay within striking distance of Tampa Bay atop the AL East without either of the pitchers who were, very expensively, expected to anchor a World Series-worthy rotation. How New York navigates Cole’s final rehab starts and whether Fried avoids a prolonged shutdown could ultimately shape the Bronx Bombers’ entire 2026 season.
Yankees Reveal Gerrit Cole Return Plan After Losing Max Fried to IL