Gerrit Cole returns for Yankees against Orioles

NEW YORK — The MLB-best Yankees have their ace back on the mound, and he looked the part once again on Wednesday night against the Orioles in the Bronx. Gerrit Cole went four-plus innings, allowing two runs while striking out five and walking one. He appeared to gain confidence and velocity as he went deeper into the game, even talking manager Aaron Boone into allowing him to come out to start the fifth inning.

Cole looked most impressive in the third inning, when he struck out Jorge Mateo to start the frame, then worked around a Gunnar Henderson walk and stolen base by fanning Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle, the latter on a wicked 89 mph slider. Cole’s velocity was where it historically has been, topping out at 97.5 mph on the night.

This was the first start of the season for the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, who had been on the 60-day injured list with a right elbow injury. He made three Minor League rehab starts and looked sharp in all of them, and the Yankees deemed him ready to go at the big league level, although they will be cautious with him at first since he is not yet built up to a full workload.

“There’s gonna be watchful eyes on him,” said Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus. “Because we certainly want Gerrit Cole for the entire season. But this is a great first step, because we need him back in the rotation, and it’s good to have him here.”

The rotation Cole is rejoining has been a point of strength for the Yankees all season, even without their frontman. Entering Wednesday’s game, New York had an MLB-best 51-24 record, largely due to the team’s MLB-low 3.38 runs per game allowed.

Rookie Luis Gil, who stepped in to fill Cole’s spot in the rotation, has been a revelation with a 2.03 ERA through 14 starts, and Carlos Rodón is starting to look more like the pitcher he was from 2021-22.

Now with Cole back in the mix, the Yankees boast a top three that rivals any in baseball.