On Friday evening, the New York Yankees will get their ace back (if Cam Schlittler hasn't fully overtaken the title). Gerrit Cole will return to the Yankees' rotation on May 22 after a yearlong recovery from Tommy John surgery.
Cole made six minor league rehab starts before his return at three levels of New York's minor league system. He logged a 4.66 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 28 strikeouts and three walks over 29 innings pitched. His best performance came with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he allowed one run on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts in 5.1 innings.
The Yankees' rotation has posted a combined 3.22 ERA, the fifth-best in the league at this point. A revamped Cole, a 2023 Cy Young Award winner, could take New York's staff to the next level if he bounces back well. Not all pitchers adjust perfectly after undergoing a UCL reconstruction (Red Sox fans learned this well with Walker Buelher) — the Yankees (and Sox) will have to see with Cole.
Whether or not Cole bounces back to his best self, the dynamic between he and the Red Sox was forever changed nearly one year ago on June 15, when the Red Sox traded Rafael Devers. The former third baseman's dominance over Cole is like nothing baseball fans have seen before and it gave the Sox an edge in one of the fiercest rivalries in sports.
Gerrit Cole returns to action for the Yankees after Red Sox trade away Rafael Devers
A Devers homer was nearly guaranteed in any Cole start against the Red Sox. During his nine years in Boston, Devers slashed .350/.435/.975 with a staggering 1.410 OPS against Cole. He's knocked a double, eight home runs and 20 RBI against him.
Devers would've been a great addition to this year's Red Sox team which is severely lacking in extra-base production. He started slow this season and is only batting .246/.291/.403 over 50 games, but he's started to break out with a .310/.355/.621 slash line in his last 15 games.
The Yankees are one of the top teams in the (very underwhelming) American League, as they always seem to be. The Red Sox would do well to find or unlock another weapon against their top rival after they've done New York so many favors by trading away or letting walk any player that made their offense any good. Brayan Bello has been quite successful against the Yankees with a 2.35 ERA against them in 65 regular season innings, but he hasn't looked like himself this year.
If all goes well with Cole's return, he could turn the Yankees into even more of a wagon in the AL East. The Red Sox's offense will have to pick up some slack to compete, in general, and to find a new Enemy No. 1 for Cole.
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