Yankees-Rays Live Updates: Tracking Gerrit Cole's Return to the Mound

For the first time in 569 days, Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will toe the rubber.

Cole, the 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner, underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2025, missing the entirety of last season's campaign. Now, after an arduous road back and lengthy rehab assignment, Cole is set to take on the division-rival Rays in his 2026 pitching debut on Friday night at Yankee Stadium.

Cole is fresh off of touching 99.6 mph on the radar gun during his last rehab start for the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate, in which he threw 86 pitches over 5 2/3 innings. How many pitches will Cole throw in his 2026 debut? What will his velocity and stuff look like?

Follow along with us as we provide live updates on Cole's return, as well as a big game between the Yankees and Rays, the AL's two best teams.

Yankees-Rays live updates: Gerrit Cole's 2026 pitching debut

More MLB from Sports Illustrated

• The Unbelievable Stat Plaguing the Struggling Giants More Than Any Other
• Daily Dinger: Best MLB Home Run Prop Bet Picks Today (Bet on Mike Trout to Hit Another Homer)
• Aaron Boone Has Bold Prediction for Aaron Judge Amid Historic Slump
• MLB Fact or Fiction Roundtable: Are the Dodgers Still World Series Favorites?
• Inside Gerrit Cole's Grueling, Untold Journey Back From Tommy John Surgery

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Yankees-Rays Live Updates: Tracking Gerrit Cole's Return to the Mound.

Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 3:03 PM.