Gerrit Cole to make season debut for Yankees tonightHow to watch Rays vs. Yankees for free
After splitting a four-game series with the Blue Jays, the New York Yankees will open a holiday weekend series against the best team in the MLB, the Tampa Bay Rays.The game will feature the highly anticipated return of Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole, who will make his first start in 569 days tonight.
Cole last stepped onto the mound at Yankee Stadium during Game 5 of the 2024 World Series.Cole underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2025 and spent 14 months recovering, including a six game rehab stint in the minors.
In his last rehab start, he threw 86 pitches and will likely be on a pitch count in that range during tonight’s start.“It’s been a long road and feel like he’s crushed the rehab process,” manager Aaron Boone said ahead of tonight’s game.
“I feel like the ramp-up’s been really good.We’ve been diligent and haven’t skipped things and haven’t rushed things.
As a result, I think he’s in a position to come here and perform at a high level.That being said, it’s been a long time, so I’m sure there’ll be some things he’s got to iron out at this level too.
But we’re excited to get a player the caliber of Gerrit back in the mix.”The first pitch at the Rays vs.Yankees game is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
ET today, May 22.If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the Yankees for free.Today’s game is not a national game, so it will air locally on YES Network.DIRECTV is our favorite service for watching sports live for free thanks to its five day free trial and the number of sports channels included in packages.
We recommend the premium Choice plan, which includes YES Network among its 90+ live channels.Right now, you can get $30 off your first month after the free trial is up.You can also stream today’s Yankees game for free with Fubo TV’s Pro package, which comes with a five day free trial and includes YES.Nick Martinez (4-1, 1.51 ERA) will start for the Rays.
Gerrit Cole makes his ...