TAMPA, Fla. — The buildup to Wednesday’s Grapefruit League game between the Yankees and Red Sox centered on one man. All eyes at George M. Steinbrenner Field were trained on Gerrit Cole, who had not thrown in a game since March 6, 2025. His elbow gave out that day. Surgery followed five days later. And for 377 days, Yankees fans waited to see their ace on a mound again.
Cole delivered. One scoreless inning. Ten pitches. Seven strikes. A fastball that averaged 97.1 mph and topped out at 98.7.
But the biggest story out of the Yankees’ 1-0 victory was not the 35-year-old recovering from Tommy John surgery. It was the 22-year-old flamethrower who followed him.
Cole passes his first test back on the mound
The six-time All-Star walked into Wednesday’s start with the right approach. He was not chasing perfection. He simply wanted to compete again.
“I just wanted to enjoy all of it. That was my goal for today. No reservations. Try not to judge yourself too hard,” Cole said. “Just have fun. No thoughts about wanting to take a little bit off. Just go ahead and let it fly.”
The Yankees ace got tested right away. His first pitch, a 96.6 mph fastball to Braiden Ward, was bunted for a single. Ward stole second before Kristian Campbell flied out. Yankees catcher Austin Wells then gunned down Ward trying to steal third to end the threat.
Nine pitches after that opening bunt, the Yankees ace was done for the day. He threw six fastballs, two sliders and a pair of knuckle-curves. The velocity was there. The secondary stuff flashed. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Cole’s stuff was “as good as can be.”
Cole had Tommy John surgery on March 11, 2025, performed by Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache. His last official outing before that was Game 5 of the 2024 World Series. The Yankees still project a late May or early June return for the right-hander, and this appearance did not change that timeline.
“June 1 has kind of been the goal,” Boone said. “I don’t expect that to change much.”
Cole will start the regular season on the injured list. He plans to attend the Yankees’ home opener on April 3 but will not be pitching that day. The club opens the 2026 season March 25 in San Francisco.
Lagrange takes over and turns heads
For those who stayed tuned in on YES or WFAN after Cole’s brief first-inning cameo, the real show was about to begin. Carlos Lagrange, the Yankees’ No. 2 prospect and No. 79 overall per MLB Pipeline, came out of the bullpen and dominated for four scoreless innings against Boston.
The 6-foot-7, 248-pound right-hander from the Dominican Republic allowed two hits and one walk while striking out four. His spring ERA fell to 0.66 across 13 2/3 innings. He has 13 strikeouts in that span and a 0.73 WHIP. His fastball regularly sits at 100 mph and has touched 103 earlier this spring.
Wells, who caught both Cole and Lagrange on Wednesday, had a strong endorsement for the Yankees’ young hurler.
“I don’t have any doubts he could help us right now,” Wells said.
What stands out most about Lagrange is his presence. He carries himself like a pitcher who belongs in the big leagues. During his postgame media session at the Yankees’ spring training complex, Lagrange was using an interpreter. But when asked if he felt major-league ready, he did not wait for the question to be translated.
“Yeah,” he answered in English.
Boone sees the total package in the young arm
The Yankees’ skipper has been impressed by more than just the radar gun readings. He pointed to Lagrange’s ability to land secondary pitches in key counts as the separator.
“Obviously, heard a lot about the stuff,” Boone said of Lagrange. “The ability to land his secondary stuff to get back in counts or finish off at-bats . . . as good as his fastball is, it’s the secondary stuff that makes him really good.”
“Just getting to know him, seeing how he works and the competitiveness and coachability . . . He’s been impressive. He really has. There’s a lot to be excited about with him.”
Lagrange was 7-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 16 games at Double-A Somerset last season for the Yankees’ farm system. He struck out 104 batters in 78.1 innings there and was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Month for July. His slider reached 94 mph on Wednesday, and his changeup touched 93. Those are elite numbers for secondary offerings.
The Yankees still see Lagrange as a starter long term. He pitched four innings Wednesday because he is being stretched out. But the idea of using him as a high-leverage reliever, similar to what Dellin Betances once was in the Bronx, is gaining traction.
The antidote to running it back
Some Yankees fans have charged that the 2026 roster looks too similar to the 2025 group that was knocked out of the postseason by the Blue Jays. Cole and Lagrange are the best answer to that criticism. Neither was on last year’s team. Neither is guaranteed a spot on the Opening Day roster.
But if both are on the Yankees’ staff this summer, with Cole regaining his Cy Young form and Lagrange making the leap from prospect to impact arm, the Yankees will look very different from last year.
Lagrange will most likely start the year in the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre rotation. Just as Cam Schlittler went from minor league arm to mainstay in the Yankees’ big-league rotation last season, Lagrange could follow a similar path.
“I just wanted to come here and show that I’m able to compete,” Lagrange said. “Basically, that I can help the team in any way possible. That’s something that I wanted to do coming into camp, and I feel like I’ve done that.”
In the best-case scenario for the Yankees, both right-handers will be on the staff by summer and ready to make a difference when October arrives. Wednesday was one spring training game in Tampa. But it offered Yankees fans a glimpse of what the Bronx Bombers could become if their ace returns to form and their young flamethrower keeps pitching like he belongs.
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