Aaron Boone has delivered a major update on the New York Yankees' pitching staff.
The New York Yankees entered the 2026 MLB campaign sans two of their top three pitchers, as both Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon were recovering from surgery.
Cole underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2025, and Rodon had to undergo an elbow cleanout just after last year's playoffs.
The Yankees have been managing with Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, Ryan Weathers and Luis Gil in their starting rotation, but make no mistake about it: New York needs Cole and Rodon to return.
The good news is that both hurlers are making significant progress, with Cole having made a rehab start on Friday and Rodon inching closer and closer toward making a rehab start of his own.
But even though Cole actually pitched in Spring Training and has made a rehab start before Rodon, manager Aaron Boone still expects Rodon to return first, via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
Boone added that Rodon is expected to throw 55-60 pitches in live batting practice on Saturday before ultimately making a rehab start.
New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images.Based on how Cole and Rodon were progressing, there were some who expected Cole to get back on the mound first. That became even more of a possibility when Rodon sustained a small hamstring injury while running earlier this month.
But clearly, the Yankees are treating Cole with kid gloves, and Cole himself seems to have outlined a pretty firm return timeline for himself.
New York's rotation has been one of baseball's best without Cole and Rodon, so when the two stars return, the Yankees could very well have the best starting five in the league.
It will be interesting to see what New York decides to do with Weathers and Gil once Cole and Rodon are back in the fold. Chances are, Weathers will head to the bullpen, but Gil's command issues create a complicated scenario for the Yanks.
Of course, having too much pitching is a cushy problem, so I don't think the Yankees will be complaining.
Cole last pitched in a major-league game back in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, when New York fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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