One week before they open the 2026 regular season, the New York Yankees will get a chance to see what Gerrit Cole looks like in a game setting as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery. <\/p>\n
Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced<\/a> that Cole will make his spring debut on Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox. <\/p>\n “The fact that he’s getting into a game now kind of indicates where he is and how well it is going,” Boone said. “I don’t want people to think we’re speeding this thing up or anything. That’s not the case. It’s just\u2014he’s ready to do this.”<\/p>\n The announcement came after Cole threw a 35-pitch live batting practice session at spring training on March 12.<\/p>\n Per The Athletic’s\u00a0Brendan Kuty<\/a>, who saw the session, Cole’s fastball touched 96 mph. He also threw his changeup and slider.<\/p>\n Boone praised Cole for “just how sharp” the command of his pitches has been despite the extended rehab and layoff.<\/p>\n “One of Gerrit’s superpowers was his delivery. He’s got how you draw it up. You’re out scouting, and that’s what an 80-grade delivery (on a 20-80 scouting scale) looks like,” Boone said. “That lends itself to command. It’s one of the things he’s always done so well. I think that’s paying dividends right now.”<\/p>\n Despite Cole getting back on the bump for game action, the Yankees aren’t counting on him to return to their rotation right away.<\/p>\n The expectation remains for Cole to pitch in real games in either late-May or early-June.<\/p>\n “June 1 has kind of been the [goal],” Boone\u00a0said<\/a>. “I don’t expect that to change much. But, we’ll see.”<\/p>\n Wednesday will mark Cole’s first appearance in a live game setting since March 6, 2025. He made two starts last spring, allowing six runs and two homers in 2.2 innings in the second one vs. the Minnesota Twins after a strong first outing against the Toronto Blue Jays.<\/p>\n Cole\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0after the Twins matchup that “something wasn’t right” during the game. It was later revealed he had a torn UCL and\u00a0underwent<\/a>\u00a0Tommy John surgery on March 11.<\/p>\n The Yankees will start the 2026 season without two of their key starters. In addition to Cole, Carlos Rod\u00f3n is\u00a0expected<\/a>\u00a0to miss at least a few weeks after undergoing elbow surgery to remove loose bodies and shave down a bone spur.<\/p>\n