Surprise! Gerrit Cole is back!
Well, sort of. The Yankee ace will be pitching in today’s spring training game against the Red Sox at George M. Steinbrenner Field. But make sure you get to your TVs (or streaming devices) in time for first pitch! Cole is only scheduled to pitch one inning today—and then he will continue his preparation for a return to full action at some point in the first half of the regular season.
It feels like even longer than a full year since the last time we saw Cole pitch. While you can never be fully confident that a 35-year old coming off reconstructive elbow surgery will look like the top-flight starter he’s been over the last decade, everyone with the Yankees has said he’s aced his rehab process so far. This Grapefruit League game against Boston is just another box to check off in that process, albeit a significant one.
He’ll be opposed by a talented young lefty we last saw in last year’s Wild Card Series. Connelly Early was overshadowed by fellow rookie Cam Schlittler in Game 3, but got out to an impressive start in that ballgame before faltering in the fourth inning. Early has had a strong spring so far as he looks to secure a back-of-the-rotation spot for a Red Sox pitching staff flush with depth.
With Team USA’s defeat at the hands of Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic final last night, Aaron Judge is officially free to return to being captain of the Yankees. That said, he won’t be in today’s lineup so soon after the fact. Most of the Bomber batters who participated in earlier games of the WBC will be, though, including leadoff hitter Amed Rosario—as well as the 6-7-8 hitters in Jazz Chisholm, José Caballero, and Austin Wells. Also in the lineup today are Ben Rice, Giancarlo Stanton, and left fielder Randal Grichuk. Kenedy Corona will play in Judge’s usual right field spot and hit ninth.
The Red Sox lineup has decidedly fewer household names—Kristian Campbell is the only player who received extensive MLB time last year. But hey, that’s spring training road trips for you.
How to watch
Location: George M. Steinbrenner Field — Tampa, FL
First pitch: 1:05 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES
Radio broadcast: WFAN, WEEI
Online stream: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv
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