Gerrit Cole wanted the ball Sunday. Anyone who’s watched him pitch the last few weeks could tell he was in a groove. But the Yankees had other plans, and Cole wasn’t exactly thrilled about it even if he downplayed the whole thing.
The team pushed his start back from Sunday’s series finale against the Reds to Monday’s game against the Tigers. Instead of Cole on the mound, the Yankees went with Elmer Rodriguez. That’s the kind of move that usually gets explained away as precautionary, and it was. But Cole’s competitive side flashed when he talked about it.
“I’m good. I was ready to go,” Cole said, according to Yankees reporter Bryan Hoch. “Any pitcher, if you’re on a roll, just keep feeding me. You know what I mean? But there are different factors that contribute to when you get to do that. It’s really not that big of a deal.”
Manager Aaron Boone framed the decision around the team’s schedule. The Yankees are staring down a stretch with no off days for more than two weeks, so Boone said he’s being deliberate about workload management. “Play the long game with all these guys,” Boone explained. That includes Cole, even though Cole just came back from Tommy John surgery last month and has already missed over a year of action.
This is a guy who won the AL Cy Young in 2023, posting career bests in ERA, WHIP, innings and bWAR. His 2024 season was a mess — 95 innings, a 3.41 ERA that looked solid on paper but came in a disjointed year that ended with surgery in March 2025. Now he’s trying to find a rhythm again, and the Yankees are being extra cautious.
For Cole, the frustration is understandable. Pitchers who just missed a full season want to prove they’re still the same guy. They want the ball every fifth day. Getting an extra day off when you’re feeling locked in? That stings a little. But he’s not about to make it a thing.
First pitch for the Yankees and Tigers is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. ET. Cole will be out there, probably looking to make up for lost time.
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