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05/19 19:17 CDT Yankees ace Gerrit Cole to return from elbow surgery Friday night against the Rays Yankees ace Gerrit Cole to return from elbow surgery Friday night against the Rays By MIKE FITZPATRICK AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) --- The long wait is nearly over for Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees. Cole is scheduled to return from Tommy John surgery Friday night and make his season debut against the Tampa Bay Rays, his first big league outing in almost 19 months. A six-time All-Star and the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner, Cole hasn't pitched in the majors since October 2024 in Game 5 of the World Series versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. "It's been tough. I mean, I've missed it quite a bit," he said Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. "There's been some blessings along the way as well. I talked about my family, and spending time with my boys. But largely I'm just looking forward to being really tired and having that exhaustion, like, mean something." Cole was set to throw a bullpen Tuesday and will be on a pitch count Friday, manager Aaron Boone said. "He hasn't been in that flow of competition for 17 months. That being said, it is Gerrit Cole," Boone said. "He looks great to me. So, my expectation is that he's going to be really good." Even after fellow Yankees ace Max Fried landed on the injured list last weekend with a left elbow bone bruise, Boone said the team still intended to have Cole make a seventh minor league rehabilitation start this week before rejoining a big league rotation that includes Cam Schlittler, Carlos Rodn, Will Warren and Ryan Weathers. But after the 35-year-old right-hander threw 86 pitches over 5 1/3 innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre against the Syracuse Mets on Saturday night, Cole and the Yankees changed course. "We just kind of continued to work through that. Didn't want to make any rash decisions just because Max was out. This isn't about that spot. It's like, we were going to play the long game with this," Boone said. "But in just like, all the talks with the trainers, pitching group, Gerrit, his support group and all that, we just felt like he has done everything he needs to be ready to compete now at this level. So, I'm really excited to get him back and excited for him because, again, knowing the long road that it's been and the blood, sweat and tears he put in the rehab process." In his most recent minor league outing, Cole averaged 97 mph with his four-seam fastball and reached 99.6 mph. "When we all looked at it and just considered all the variables, it checked all the boxes," he said. Cole will start the series opener at Yankee Stadium against the AL East rival Rays, who swept three games from New York last month in Florida and entered Tuesday with the top record in the majors at 31-15. "I expect it to be intense. Tough matchup. Lot of balls in play. Control the running game," Cole said. "Lot of pressure from the other team. "I'm most looking forward to just competing at the highest stage," he added. "Pretty high stakes Friday night for May, and I mean, it's just a blessing to play the game. You get a better sense of that once you're removed from it." Cole was pleased with his progression throughout the long rehab process. "I felt like any return around this point, even with a few weeks ahead of time, would be generally viewed as a good return-to-play plan and a good level of execution. I mean, I expected to do well. I didn't really hit any significant snags. And so, you put a lot of hard work in and execute along the way and this is where it takes you," he said. "It didn't feel very quick, yet it's been very efficient and optimal." Cole is 153-80 with a 3.18 ERA in 12 major league seasons with the Pirates, Astros and Yankees. He's won a pair of ERA titles, and his return to an already-strong rotation figures to provide a significant boost for second-place New York, which entered Tuesday three games behind Tampa Bay at 29-19. "This is a good measuring stick. So you get a good litmus test of where you are," Cole said. "I'm confident. I'm optimistic. But I definitely know there's some work in front of us. It's just the right time to take the next step. "I'm as prepared as possible to do the best I can, whatever challenges come our way on Friday." Cole went for tests in 2025 after allowing two home runs in his second spring training start, against Minnesota on March 6 that year, and had reconstructive elbow surgery five days later. He made a pair of one-inning spring training starts this year on March 18 and 24, then began minor league rehab outings on April 17. He compiled a 4.71 ERA in 28 2/3 innings, giving up 28 hits while striking out 28 and walking three. "We're all excited for him and know the long road that it's been to get back to this point," Boone said. "I'm sure there's been some trying moments for him, but I also feel like he's handled it all really well, and there's been a discipline to what he's done." ___ AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

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