Yankees vs. Rays Game 52/162

Gerrit Cole makes his 2026 Debut as the Yankees look to gain ground in the AL East

NEW YORK — The day has arrived. Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is making is long awaited return to the mound post Tommy John surgery. He will take on the first place Rays in the series opener.

Game Time: 7:05pm | Location: Yankee Stadium

Broadcast: YES Network / WFAN Radio

Weather: 61 degrees, Cloudy, Wind E 10 mph

The Matchup on the Bump

Gerrit Cole makes his return to a Yankees team that needs a spark as of late. Cole is expected to be on a pitch count, exactly what the number is not yet know. His velocity was sitting in the high-90’s on his rehab assignment, so I would expect consistency with his velocity.

Nick Martinez has been among the best pitchers in the American League this season, and a surprise to most in 2026, after a rough 2025. The Yankees need to do what has gotten them to the second-best record in the AL to this point, and that is be patient and take pitches and clobber mistakes. Ben Rice and Aaron Judge both have solid numbers against Martinez in their careers, and both have been scuffling a bit.

What to Watch: The Yankees have representative numbers against Nick Martinez in their careers, so if they can put pressure and score against him, things would go much smoother for the game as a whole.

Daily Lineups & Notes

Yankees Lineup

1. CF Grisham
2. RF Judge
3. DH Rice
4. LF Bellinger
5. 1B Goldschmidt
6. 2B Chisholm Jr.
7. SS Caballero
8. 3B McMahon
9. C WellsSP: RHP Gerrit Cole (Season Debut)

Rays Lineup

1. LF Simpson
2. 3B Caminero
3. 1B Aranda
4. DH Díaz
5. 2B Palacios
6. RF DeLuca
7. CF Mullins
8. C Fortes
9. SS WallsSP: RHP Nick Martinez (4-1, 1.51)

Lineup Thoughts:

• Trent Grisham makes his lineup return after leaving Wednesday’s game with a knee issue.
• Jose Caballero is at shortstop over Anthony Volpe. Aaron Boone told the media that Volpe will get work at second base on days he’s not at shortstop.

Roster Moves & Medical Updates

• Following last night’s game, the Yankees optioned RHP Yovanny Cruz and OF Spencer Jones to AAA Scranton.
• Ahead of tonight’s game, the Yankees activated UTIL Jose Caballero and RHP Gerrit Cole from the injured list.

Bullpen Availability

GTG: David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Jake Bird, Fernando Cruz, Brent Headrick, Tim Hill

LONG: Ryan Yarbrough

DOWN: Paul Blackburn

Keys to the Game

• With the Rays scrappy approach to the game of baseball, the Yankees need to play clean defense in this series, and that starts tonight. The team was practicing bunt defense yesterday, and hopefully they can put the good defense to use tonight.
• The pitching and catching battery needs to control the running game. The Rays will steal bases, and the Yankees need to do their best to prevent that from occurring.