Gerrit Cole is nearing his return after missing the entire 2025 season following Tommy John surgery in March 2025, and the Yankees plan to add him to the big-league roster Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays. To make room, top prospect Spencer Jones will h
By Friday night, the Yankees expect Gerrit Cole to be back where he belongs. The veteran right-hander missed the entire 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2025, and after rehabbing down at Triple-A, New York has decided he’s ready to return to the big-league roster.
The timing is clear: Cole is set to make his return on Friday night when the Yankees open their weekend series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
There’s a cost to that decision, though. Activating Cole means someone has to be sent back to the minors, and the player getting optioned is top prospect Spencer Jones.
Jones doesn’t just leave the roster because of a procedural shuffle. His 10-game stint with the Yankees hasn’t gone the way the organization would’ve hoped. In those first major-league appearances, Jones recorded four hits in 24 at-bats, with none going for extra bases. He struck out 12 times, and his OPS sits at .426.
Even in the one moment that showed promise during the game Thursday, it wasn’t enough to change the overall picture. Jones recorded a hit in three at-bats during New York’s 3-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday.
Now the focus shifts to what comes next for Jones—working in Triple-A to tighten the swing and sharpen the approach that hasn’t translated yet to MLB.
For the Yankees, the roster picture is also complicated by other absences. Trent Grisham remains on the injured list, and so does Jasson Dominguez. Jose Caballero is on the cusp of returning to the big leagues. and with that possibility. New York should have enough positional flexibility to deal with center field after Jones is demoted.
Cole’s own comeback comes with its own quiet pressure. This will be his first start since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series—the game where he infamously made the error of not covering first base. The Yankees can’t afford to view this as a simple return-to-work assignment. Cole is 35 years old. he’s coming off a lengthy absence. and expectations are likely to rise fast once he steps onto the mound again.
A lot changes from one roster move to the next. Cole’s return is a major step toward getting a veteran arm back in the rotation. but it also forces the Yankees to make a hard call on a prospect who still has a lot to prove. Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays will show whether the payoff is immediate—or whether Cole’s comeback and Jones’ demotion both land them back in the same familiar question: what version of this team is ready to win right now.
New York Yankees Gerrit Cole Spencer Jones Triple-A Tampa Bay Rays Tommy John surgery Jasson Dominguez Trent Grisham Jose Caballero MLB roster move