Reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole will make his season debut for the New York Yankees on Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles, manager Aaron Boone said Monday.

Cole began the season with nerve irritation and swelling in his pitching elbow. After time to recover, Cole made two rehab starts at Double-A Somerset and one at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before the Yankees determined he was ready to return this week.

The series at Yankee Stadium is an important one, as it pits American League East rivals with two of the three best records in baseball. The Yankees begin the week 50-24 and the Orioles are 47-24.

Cole, 33, went 15-4 with an American League-best 2.63 ERA in 33 starts in 2023. He struck out 222 batters while walking 48 in 209 innings. The Cy Young Award was the first of Cole’s career.

In 11 major league seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2013-17), Houston Astros (2018-19) and Yankees (2020-23), Cole is 145-75 with a 3.17 ERA over 300 games (all starts). He’s recorded 2,152 strikeouts over 1,859 innings, or 10.4 per nine innings

The Yankees have gotten by in Cole’s absence. Rookie Luis Gil locked down a spot in the rotation and is 9-1 with a 2.03 ERA over 14 starts. New York’s starters have combined to have the lowest ERA in the majors at 2.90.

–Field Level Media