TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is set for his spring training debut in the latest step in the New York right-hander's recovery from Tommy John elbow surgery.

Cole is scheduled to throw one inning as the starter Wednesday in an exhibition against the Boston Red Sox at Steinbrenner Field. The 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner pitched in two spring training games last year before the surgery that sidelined him the entire 2025 season.

“It’s definitely exciting,” manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday. “Obviously, I think everyone’s been excited just how good he’s looked. The fact that he’s getting into a game now just indicates where he is and how well it is going.”

Cole threw a 35-pitch bullpen session Thursday and has reached 97.5 mph with his fastball while also throwing breaking pitches.

Boone reiterated the Yankees' plan for the 35-year-old to make his season debut in late May or early June. Cole’s last official outing was in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series.

“I don’t want necessarily people to think we’re speeding this up or anything,” Boone said. “That’s not the case. It’s just, he’s ready to do this, he’s been in lives (batting practice), and so (it will) be good to see him out there for an inning starting a game and seeing our ace out there.”

Cole threw his first bullpen session of spring training on Feb. 13 and a week later faced hitters for the first time since the surgery. The Yankees didn't know when they reported to Florida whether Cole would appear in a game.

“Over the last couple weeks, just with the continued progression, how he’s recovering and things like that, where he is as far having a few lives under his belt now, it’s started to really come in play probably in the last 10 days, two weeks, without being certain,” Boone said. “The last couple days, like, ‘Yeah, let’s go ahead and do it, assuming he continues to do what he needs to do day in and day out.’”

Cole missed the start of the 2024 season with elbow issues and was limited to 17 starts after making at least 30 starts and winning at least 13 games each of the previous three seasons with the Yankees.

The six-time All-Star has altered his windup, putting his hands over his head. Before he was hurt, Cole stopped at his chest.

“These sessions, they're confined in terms of number of pitches, allocation, but they're not really confined in terms of compete,” Cole told MLB Network recently about getting back to facing hitters. “I've done all the work to put myself in position to go out there and enjoy myself, get after the ball and try to perform well and put up good results. It's an enjoyable step right now.”

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