Cole’s comeback inning
Gerrit Cole made his 2026 Spring Training return and threw a clean, scoreless first inning in his comeback from Tommy John surgery — a major step toward regaining his rotation status. The outing was highlighted as a positive sign for the Yankees as they manage his return timeline ( ).
Cole’s one-inning appearance came Wednesday, March 18, 2026, against the Boston Red Sox at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla. (mlb.com) He threw 10 pitches, seven strikes, with six four-seam fastballs that averaged 97.1 mph and topped out at 98.7 mph. (mlb.com) Cole supplemented his heater with two sliders and two knuckle-curves and completed the inning by covering first base on a groundout after Jason Delay’s single. (mlb.com) The outing was his first game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery on March 11, 2025, as noted in wire reports. (usnews.com) MLB’s game write-up counted the gap between surgery and this appearance as 372 days. (mlb.com) New York limited Cole to a single-inning outing as a controlled step in his ramp-up, and manager Aaron Boone reiterated a projected season debut in late May or early June. (mlb.com) (abcnews.com) Cole told the YES Network that his command “was not great today,” and the club framed the 10-pitch appearance as the next planned step after his first spring bullpen on Feb. 13. (foxsports.com) (abcnews.com)
