Gerrit Cole Gets Immediate Test in First Yankees Start Since Injury

After missing the entire 2025 season, Gerrit Cole returned to the mound for the New York Yankees.

Feb 12, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) works out during spring training workouts at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees knew they were giving Gerrit Cole a short leash but he certainly made the most of his return.

Manager Aaron Boone limited him to just one inning, but it was an eventful one at that. At the end of the day though, Cole needed just 10 pitches to get through the Boston Red Sox.

A leadoff bunt could've turned into chaos but Cole settled in from the stretch and gave George Steinbrenner Field a start they won't soon forget.

Spring Training may be coming to an end, but this is just the beginning of Cole's 2026 campaign. The Yankees ace would love to re-join the team in May or June, and this was just step one in that process.

Cole Gets Out of it in 10 Pitches

Cole World 🌎

Scoreless inning for @GerritCole45 in his return to game action 👏 pic.twitter.com/CKSjqeisf3

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 18, 2026

27-year old Braiden Ward didn't waste any time as he bunted on the very first pitch he saw. Boston knew exactly what they were doing as they tried to rattle Cole early, but the veteran didn't let it phase him.

While Cole wasn't able to use his normal windup much, he was able to throw it down to first a few times to try and keep Ward in check. Sadly for Cole, Ward would later steal second in a collision that banged up Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Chisholm stayed in the game but that's the last thing Cole wanted to see in his first bit of live action since the 2024 season.

Cole's fifth pitch was an 89mph slider that resulted in the first out of the inning. His next pitch was 97mph, the highest he'd reach in his return. Nonetheless, that's still an extremely impressive number to hit.

If that's not impressive enough, Cole went from 97mph to 84mph in the blink of an eye. He mixed in a beautiful breaking pitch immediately after that sinker as he continued to get settled in.

Cole's eighth pitch resulted in an amazing throw behind the plate to get Ward out at third. While this seemed like the moment Cole needed to work back from his windup, he immediately gave up another base hit.

The very next pitch resulted in a ground out that got Cole out of the inning. He had to cover first in order to get the out, so it's good to still see he has that sort of movement in him. He did indeed make a diving play to stop the bunt on the first pitch, but this at least resulted in him recording an out.

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