The New York Yankees are getting some much-needed good news at the best possible time. Gerrit Cole will begin a rehab assignment when he starts for the Double-A Somerset Patriots on Friday. Manager Aaron Boone announced the news after Wednesday’s Yankees win over the Los Angeles Angels, and the Patriots subsequently shared it on their social media pages.
Gerrit Cole to Make Rehab Start at Double-A on Friday
Cole has been out since undergoing Tommy John surgery right before the start of last season. Although the Yankees made the postseason without him in 2025, they failed to advance beyond the Division Series. They have sorely missed the talents of the 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner, and with him and fellow workhorse Carlos Rodón now in the midst of rehab assignments, help is on the way for the Yankees’ rotation. The starting pitching has been one of the strong suits for New York (aside from some recent hiccups), partly thanks to Max Fried, who has been an ace himself since signing an eight-year deal with the Yankees before last season. Having two more of their top starters back in the mix is sure to make the pitching staff even deadlier.
The @Yankees are currently scheduling for 2023 AL Cy Young Award Winner Gerrit Cole to commence an @MLB rehab assignment with the Double-A Somerset Patriots on Friday, April 17. #RepBX pic.twitter.com/nz5XuwpR4x
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) April 16, 2026
While rehab assignments for major league pitchers tend to last around a month, they can sometimes take a bit longer in the case of Tommy John patients. So while the best-case scenario would put Cole’s return to the majors around mid-May, sometime closer to June is likely a better estimate.
The Yankees ace also spent the early part of the 2024 season on the injured list, in what could have been a precursor to him eventually needing the UCL surgery. Still, once he recovered that season, he helped carry the Yankees to their first American League pennant since 2009. Perhaps another midseason return from Cole will be just the jolt they need to carry them deep into October.
Main Photo Credit: Dave Nelson-Imagn Images
