Gerrit Cole set for first postseason start since Tommy John, Yankees mulling Aarond Judge decison

Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News on Oct 2, 2026

Published in Baseball

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — For all of the noise that has been made about the Yankees’ use of analytics in recent years, their postseason decisions show the feel the club has for the game, something numbers can’t quantify.

Calling on Gerrit Cole to start Game 1 of the ALDS is one of those decisions. The Yankees may have four aces in their rotation, and the Rays have struggled against left-handers. But Cole, a right-hander, is the quintessential big-game pitcher. He’s the guy who can set the tone for his team in a meaningful way, and this start against the Tampa Bay Rays has extra meaning, being the first postseason appearance for Cole since his 2025 Tommy John surgery.

“It’s incredibly special,” Cole said Friday at Tropicana Field. “Coming back from surgery, I mean there’s not much more I could ask for. I feel tremendously blessed. I feel that the people in the clubhouse that have contributed to the success this year deserve a lot of the credit. It’s been a team effort overall, and so excited to go out and compete again.”

Whether Cole competes with Aaron Judge is yet to be determined.

Judge could be active for this next round, even if he isn’t ready for Game 1. The Yankees could include him on the roster to utilize him as a pinch hitter. The winner of the last three MVP Awards, Judge hit at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, and spent Friday working out nearby at GMS Field before joining the team for the workout day in St. Petersburg.

Judge took batting practice on the field, but did not run the bases. He declined to take questions from the media.

Manager Aaron Boone was non-committal on the status of his captain’s strained right calf. Boone has not seen Judge run the bases, but did confirm that he has started running. The turf at the Trop could be reason enough to hold him out of action in this round, but if they can use him in New York, it might be advantageous to include him on the roster.

“[The turf] plays into it a little bit; it’s just as far as him and the field, potentially,” Boone said. “But we’re looking at the days, so it’s more, is he going to be available at some point in this series, potentially, as a player? That’s what we’re kind of weighing, and then seeing where he’s at now these last few days having taken live BP. We’ll see how today goes.”

Whether the Yankees have Aaron Judge or not, Cole provides a presence.

It’s been a learning experience for the 36-year-old as he progressed through rehab and through the season. The elbow injury that started with edema in 2024 and culminated in ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction in 2025 was the first major injury of a career that has spanned nearly 13 years. One of the more durable aces in the game, Cole is one of the few starters who still regularly throws 200 or more innings and makes 30 or more starts.

He edited and updated his routine this season as needed, ultimately going back to what has always worked for him in the past. Cole wanted to stay flexible and open to anything that could keep his elbow healthy, while also maintaining his effectiveness on the mound.

“Humans, we don’t progress in a linear fashion, or there are times where we have to adapt,” Cole said. “I spoke about just staying curious about the process earlier in the season; I thought that really carried us a long way in terms of making some of the adaptations.”

Limited to 95 innings in 2024, and 127 this season, Cole is coming into the postseason with a well-rested arm. He last pitched 10 days ago against Tampa Bay in a 5 2/3-inning effort for his 10th win of the season. He knows the lineup, and he’s pitching in a place he enjoys.

The Trop might be the target of ridicule from fans around the league, but if it’s good enough for Cole, it can’t be all that bad. He’s also had success in Tampa, with a 3.32 ERA at Tropicana Field in 10 starts. The Rays have hit .218 off Cole in their home park.

Still, Cole said his arm doesn’t feel any different than it usually does at this time of year, probably because he’s gotten a lot of mileage out of it throughout the years, and he’s coming off a 22-start season.

“I do feel just to an extent I’ve been pitching all year, and I feel that you know I’ve had opportunities to settle into the season and settle into the routine, so that there’s really nothing new approaching me at this point,” Cole said. “So in that regard, it’s pretty much the same.”

While he may have more excitement for this start given that it’s his first in the postseason since the 2024 World Series, his mentality isn’t any different either, because postseason starts are always special. Judge or not, Cole provides an intangible presence that can’t be measured by any analytical formula.