Gerrit Cole's 99.6 MPH Heater Just Got Unleashed and The American League Is NOT Ready

Alright, it's not a Mariners story, but when a guy like Gerrit Cole, a legit Cy Young winner, is ready to come back after *more than a year and a half* out, everyone in baseball pays attention. Folks, the rumors are swirling that he's back with the Yankees as soon as this weekend. You hear that? That's the sound of the American League getting a whole lot scarier. Seriously, this dude just fired a fastball at 99.6 MPH in his rehab start. Let that sink in.

The Cy Young King Is Back

It’s been a brutal road for Cole, who underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in March 2025. But he's been grinding in the Yankees' farm system, making five rehab appearances. While his overall rehab line is 0-2 with a 4.66 ERA in 29 innings, his last outing for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday was the real indicator. He went 5 1/3 innings, gave up just one run, and fanned six batters. That 99.6 MPH heater? On full display, the hardest he's thrown since August 2023. Yankees manager Aaron Boone is hyped, saying Cole "looks really good" and "checked a lot of the boxes," calling the last start "mostly excellent." Cole himself sounds locked in, telling MLB.com, "So far, so good. It's been a good progression. The pitch count is steadily increasing. The recovery has been good, and the velocity and command are steadily increasing as well." This dude is a six-time All-Star. He won the AL Cy Young in 2023 with a ridiculous 15-4 record and a league-best 2.63 ERA. Even in 2024, after missing half the season, he still went 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA. The man is a certified AL beast.

A Spot Opens Up

So, how does a superstar just slot back in? The Yankees made moves. On Monday, they optioned 22-year-old rookie Elmer Rodriguez to Triple-A. Rodriguez, who was 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in three starts and gave up one run in 4 1/3 innings on Sunday, was surprisingly sent down. Manager Boone had said Sunday that Rodriguez would get another start, but by Monday, the possibility of Cole pitching against the Tampa Bay Rays this Sunday in New York was suddenly "on the table." Boone is playing it cool, saying, "We'll make a call one way or the other. ... We'll see what makes the most sense moving forward," but you know what that means. To fill Rodriguez's spot, they brought up Yovanny Cruz, a 26-year-old right-handed reliever from Triple-A with no big-league experience. He’s been solid down there, 5-1 with a save and a 3.00 ERA in 15 appearances, but he’s definitely not Gerrit Cole. This is big news for the American League, no doubt. When a former Cy Young winner returns with his stuff looking this good, it changes the feel of the league. While the Yankees are getting their ace back, our Mariners are out here handling business on their own turf! Big shoutout to the squad for that 6-1 win against the Chicago White Sox at T-Mobile Park. We’ve got our own stars to watch every night, and we’re ready to see what our boys, like Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh, bring to the field next. Get loud, Emerald City!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.