Cole tosses 6 scoreless frames in 1st big league start since '24

Gerrit Cole returned to the Yankees on Friday night and delivered exactly the kind of outing they hoped for: six scoreless innings against the Rays in his first major league start since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series.

The Yankees activated Cole from the 15-day injured list on May 22, and he immediately gave the rotation a boost after a long recovery from Tommy John surgery. Multiple outlets, including MLB.com, AP and CBS Sports, reported the same result from the game in Tampa Bay.

Cole worked through six shutout frames in his first big league appearance since his injury-marred absence ended up lasting 569 days. The outing marked his return to the mound after a rehab process that included minor league starts.

The performance gives the Yankees a major arm back at a time when they are trying to settle their pitching plans for the stretch ahead.

Further postgame details, including comments from Cole or manager Aaron Boone, could add more color to the immediate aftermath of the start.