Alexander Wilson
The New York Yankees are finally getting Gerrit Cole back, and the timing could not be much better.
Aaron Boone said Cole will return Friday against the Rays in the Bronx, giving the Yankees their ace for the first time this season. The other side of the injury sheet is not nearly as clean, with Giancarlo Stanton still working through a right calf strain and not yet cleared to resume running.
So the Yankees get one star back while another remains stuck in the awkward middle of rehab. Plain and simple, they will happily take the Cole news first.
Cole is finally walking back in
Cole’s return has been building for weeks, but the Yankees finally have the date circled. He is expected to be activated and start Friday against Tampa Bay, giving the rotation a massive lift after months of waiting.
The last rehab start did exactly what it needed to do. Cole touched 99.6 mph, worked deep enough to show the arm strength was there, and gave the Yankees a reason to stop dragging the process out just for the sake of caution.
There will be rust. Nobody should pretend otherwise. Cole is coming back from Tommy John surgery, and even great pitchers need a few starts to get their sea legs after that kind of layoff.
But 75% of vintage Cole would still be a godsend for this team.
Stanton still has the hard part left
Stanton’s update is more frustrating. He said he has been hitting and performing plyometric exercises, which is real progress, but he still has not been cleared to run.
For a calf strain, running is not some minor checkpoint. It is the checkpoint. Stanton cannot go on a real rehab assignment, test game speed, or get anywhere close to a return until the Yankees know the calf can handle acceleration and deceleration.
The bat work matters, of course. Stanton was hitting .256/.302/.422 with three homers and 14 RBIs over 24 games before the injury, so the Yankees could absolutely use his power back in the lineup. But hitting in a controlled setting is one thing. Running out of the box, turning first base, and stopping hard on a bad read is a different animal.
The murky part has not gone anywhere.
The Yankees need patience with both
The Yankees have already been forced to patch the outfield and DH picture with Stanton stuck waiting. Cody Bellinger has helped cover some of that power loss, and the team has been creative enough to survive, but Stanton changes the feel of the lineup when he is right.
Cole changes the rotation immediately.
Cole can come back and help right away, even if he is not fully sharpened. Stanton has to clear the running hurdle before the Yankees can even start talking about a real return window.
The smart play is obvious. Let Cole build back carefully in the rotation, keep Stanton away from any rushed running ramp-up, and avoid turning one good injury update into a reason to gamble on the other one.
Cole is back Friday. Stanton is not there yet. If the Yankees handle both timelines correctly, they could still have two major reinforcements in place when the season starts getting serious.
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