TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees are about to see Gerrit Cole on a mound in a real game for the first time in more than a year. But he will not be the first injured starter to rejoin the rotation. That distinction belongs to Carlos Rodon.
Cole is scheduled to start Wednesday against the Red Sox in Tampa. He will work just one inning. It will be his first game action since March 6, 2024, a gap of one year, one week and three days.
For Yankees fans starved for good pitching news, the timing could not be better. The 2026 season opens a week from Wednesday in San Francisco. And the Bronx Bombers will begin it with three veteran starters on the injured list.
Cole’s Tommy John rehab reaches a milestone
Everything about Cole’s rehab from Tommy John surgery has gone according to plan. He underwent the procedure on March 11, 2025. His bullpen sessions have been strong. His velocity is almost all the way back. He impressed the Yankees last month when he threw to live hitters for the first time since the operation.
The green light to pitch in a Grapefruit League game before the Bronx Bombers break camp this weekend is the next step. But it comes with a clear boundary. One inning. That is it.
Cole’s return to the Yankees rotation is still expected around the middle of June at the earliest. The six-time All-Star and 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner has been consistent about the timetable.
“The target has always been between 14 to 18 months,” Cole said earlier this spring. “That’s what the research says. That’s what the comps that we’ve looked at says and that’s what it’s always been.”
His last game was a rough one. On March 6, 2024, Cole was shelled in a spring training start against the Twins, allowing six runs in 2 2/3 innings on 54 pitches. The next day, he alerted the Yankees training staff about trouble recovering. A week later, his season was over.
Wednesday’s outing against the Red Sox is about proving his arm can handle game conditions again. No one inside the Yankees organization expects miracles. They just want to see progress.
Rodon expected to beat Cole back to the Yankees rotation
Here is the twist that surprises many Yankees fans. Despite Cole pitching in a spring game first, Carlos Rodon is expected to return to the active roster before him.
Rodon had minor elbow surgery last October. The three-time All-Star left-hander has not yet made a start this spring. But he may get one before the Yankees leave Florida after Sunday’s game or during one of the two exhibitions early next week in Arizona.
Regardless of whether that spring start happens, a return in April seems very possible for Rodon. His rehab has progressed steadily, and the Bronx Bombers are optimistic about his readiness for early-season action.
Manager Aaron Boone told Chris Kirschner that the Yankees were not sure if Rodon can throw a spring game. However, he was expected to return in April.
Rodon signed a six-year, $162 million deal with the Yankees before the 2023 season. His tenure in the Bronx has been marred by injuries. He made just 21 starts in 2024 and 29 in 2025 before the elbow issue shut him down in August. Getting him back in the Yankees rotation by mid-April would be a significant boost for a pitching staff that needs every arm it can get.
Schmidt’s return pushes to late in the Yankees season
The third name on the Yankees injured starter list is Clarke Schmidt. The right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2025. His recovery timeline puts a return late in the 2026 season, if at all.
Schmidt had been a valuable piece of the Yankees rotation before the injury. He posted a 3.63 ERA in 18 starts in 2025 before going down. His absence leaves a gap that the Bronx Bombers will need to fill internally or through in-season acquisitions.
The Yankees will open the 2026 regular season with Max Fried, Cody Bellinger’s former Braves teammate who signed as a free agent, anchoring the top of the rotation. But the depth behind him is thin until Rodon and eventually Cole return.
What Wednesday’s start means for Cole and the Yankees
Cole’s one-inning start against the Red Sox will not tell the Yankees everything they need to know. It is spring training. The sample will be tiny. But it matters because it is the first real test of his surgically repaired elbow in game conditions.
If Cole looks sharp, the Bronx Bombers will continue building him up through minor league rehab starts over the coming months. If there are setbacks, the June target could slide. For now, everything points in the right direction.
The bigger story for the Yankees rotation in the short term is Rodon. His return in April would give the club a proven arm at a time when the schedule demands it. A healthy Rodon in the first half and a healthy Cole in the second half would change the shape of the Yankees season entirely.
Three Yankees starters on the IL to open the year is not ideal. But for the first time in months, the Bronx has real reasons to believe the cavalry is coming. Cole takes the mound Wednesday. Rodon is not far behind. And the Yankees pitching picture, while still incomplete, is starting to sharpen.
What do you think?
