Gerrit Cole Earns B+ for Resilient Yankees Return

Gerrit Cole received a B+ for his comeback season, posting a 3.61 ERA and 10-9 record after Tommy John surgery. Despite surrendering more home runs (1.56 HR/9) and hard contact, his elite strikeout rate (70th percentile) and low walk rate (1.77 BB/9) solidified his role as a top-rotation starter. Cole's performance offers optimism for the Yankees' contention window.