Yanks’ Cole to return to mound Sunday vs. Jays

NEW YORK — Gerrit Cole said he will start for the New York Yankees on Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays after missing his scheduled outing Tuesday with “general body fatigue.”

Cole told reporters the plan after throwing a bullpen session Friday at Yankee Stadium. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the decision was contingent on how Cole felt during the bullpen. The Yankees hadn’t listed a starter for Sunday’s series finale.

Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, emphasized that the decision not to pitch Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies was not related to his previously injured right elbow. He insisted his body just didn’t recover as expected after his previous start against the Mets on July 24. Boone added that Cole had been dealing with a stomach bug.

“I feel very fatigued,” Cole said Tuesday. “I’m grinding a little bit.”

Cole began the season on the injured list with nerve irritation and edema in the elbow. He made his season debut on June 19 not having been fully ramped up to his usual pitch count after four rehab starts. He continued building stamina over his first four outings with the Yankees before reaching 100 pitches in each of his past three starts. Cole has posted a 5.40 ERA across 35 innings in his seven outings this season.

Will Warren made his major league debut in Cole’s place Tuesday, giving up four runs across 5⅓ innings in the Yankees’ 7-6, 12-inning win over the Phillies. He was optioned back to Triple-A after the game.