Gerrit Cole is back: Yankees ace to make 2024 debut on Wednesday, Aaron Boone says

An excellent start to the 2024 season just became even better.

Reigning American League Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole will make his 2024 season debut on Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles, Aaron Boone said on Monday. Talkin' Yanks, a podcast presented by Jomboy Media, was the first to report the news.

Cole, 33, has not pitched for the Yankees this season due to an elbow injury he suffered in March. The ace seemingly avoided damage to his UCL, and he recently made the last of his three rehab starts on Friday for Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Cole struck out 10 in that start, throwing 4.2 innings and allowing one unearned run.

Without Cole, the Yankees sit with the best record in MLB at 50-24. This is thanks in part to a rotation that stepped up without Cole and is holding opponents to a .215 combined batting average, which is second best in baseball.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Gerrit Cole return set for Wednesday in Yankees game vs. Orioles