Yankees’ Gerrit Cole return kicks top prospect back to Triple-A after just 10 games

Some roster reshuffling is in order for the New York Yankees, as veteran pitcher Gerrit Cole, who missed the entirety of the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2025, is on the precipice of returning to the big-league roster. Cole had been rehabbing down at Triple-A, and now, the Yankees have deemed him to be ready to make his return on Friday night when they start their weekend series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

This means, however, that the Yankees have to send a player back to the minors to accommodate for Cole’s return. As per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the person giving way for the 35-year-old starter will be top prospect Spencer Jones. Jones didn’t exactly impress in the 10 games he played for the Yankees in the big leagues, and he’ll be back in Triple-A to work on his game further.

Jones did get a hit in three at-bats during the Yankees’ 3-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday. But overall, he hasn’t been off to a firing start at all in MLB. Through 10 games (24 at-bats), he’s recorded a total of four hits, with none of them going for extra bases. Of those 24 at-bats, he struck out 12 times. Overall, his OPS was at .426, which is quite inauspicious for the Yankees.

It’s not quite clear how the Yankees will be shuffling their lineup with Jones vacating center field following his demotion. Trent Grisham remains in the injured list, and so does Jasson Dominguez. But with Jose Caballero on the cusp of returning to the big leagues as well, according to Nightengale, the Yankees should have plenty of positional versatility to address this matter.

As for Cole, this will be his first start since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, the game in which he infamously made the error of not covering first base. Yankees fans might be better off tempering expectations, as he’s coming off a lengthy absence and he hasn’t been getting any younger.

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