NEW YORK — The Yankees rotation has been running short-handed since before Opening Day, and for weeks the two names most conspicuously absent from the mound have been Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon. On Wednesday, the club’s injury timeline took a meaningful step forward for one of them and stood still for the other.
Cole will make his first minor league rehab start Friday with Double-A Somerset, manager Aaron Boone confirmed after the Yankees’ 5-4 walk-off win over the Angels. Rodon, recovering from left elbow surgery to remove bone chips, will not yet begin a rehab assignment. He is scheduled to throw another live batting practice session Saturday at Yankee Stadium instead.
The contrast matters. Cole has cleared enough of the process to face live opposing hitters in a game. Rodon has not. For a Yankees staff that has leaned on Max Fried and Cam Schlittler through a rocky first three weeks, the difference is significant.
Cole clears the way for a game setting
Cole, 35, last appeared in a competitive game in the 2024 World Series. He underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2025. The Yankees brought him back slowly during spring training, where he threw 2.2 innings across two appearances before being held back to manage his workload entering the season.
Sunday, Cole threw 42 pitches over three simulated innings in a live batting practice session. The Yankees were weighing a game versus another simulated setting. Boone confirmed after Wednesday’s win that the game setting won out.
Cole spoke Monday about Sunday’s session and left no doubt about where things stand.
“I have no complaints,” Cole said. “Stamina was good. Pitches are fine, they’re good. I’m being a little nitpicky, but everything’s good.”
Cole will join Anthony Volpe on rehab assignment with Somerset. Friday’s outing will be the first true test of whether his arm can handle game-speed hitters after more than a year away.
Rodon taking a slower path back
Rodon’s situation is less clear. He threw 50 pitches in a simulated session Monday at Yankee Stadium. That was enough to move forward, but not enough to put him in a game.
The Yankees opted for a Saturday batting practice outing rather than beginning an official rehab assignment. Rodon has not pitched in a game since October. The bone chip procedure is less invasive than Tommy John surgery, but still requires careful workload management as the elbow adjusts to game-level stress.
Rodon is a key part of the Yankees’ rotation plans. His absence, combined with Cole’s, has forced Boone to stretch his available starters thin. Ryan Weathers has filled in with some promise, but he is not a long-term replacement for what Rodon provides.
There is no firm return date for Rodon. The Yankees are monitoring his progress session by session.
Volpe tracking toward a May return
Volpe, meanwhile, has a clearer path back. The 24-year-old shortstop played five innings for Somerset on Tuesday in his first game since undergoing surgery to repair a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder last October. He went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts and faced rehabbing Phillies ace Zack Wheeler.
Volpe returned to Yankee Stadium on Wednesday for drill work and is scheduled to play for Somerset on Thursday, Friday and Sunday before a possible promotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre next week. The Yankees want to see him run the bases and dive before clearing his return to the major league roster.
Volpe spoke Wednesday about what he needs to feel ready. His focus was not just on getting his timing back at the plate but on proving his shoulder can handle the physical demands of playing full games at shortstop.
“I want to run the bases,” Volpe said. “I want to dive. Those are kind of the checkpoints that I want to see out of myself. And then get into the flow of the season. Go night to day, go back to back. Get my innings up. I want to do that as soon as I can.”
Volpe played through the shoulder issue most of last season and regressed offensively and defensively, posting an 83 wRC+ and 1.0 fWAR in 153 games. General manager Brian Cashman has since confirmed Volpe will return as the Yankees’ starting shortstop once healthy.
If Cole comes through Friday healthy and sharp, the conversation about a major league return timeline starts in earnest. If Rodon follows in the weeks after, the Yankees’ rotation could become one of the deeper staffs in the American League.
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