Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 05/22/26

Gerrit Cole will make his much-anticipated season debut on Friday night when the Yankees host the Rays in the Bronx. Cole missed all of last season and the beginning of this season recovering from Tommy John surgery, and this will mark his first time toeing the rubber on a major league mound since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series against the Dodgers. That feels like a lifetime ago, and the massive gap in MLB starts for Cole brings some question marks. Cole is now 35 years old, and while he certainly has plenty of gas left in the tank, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Rays give him some trouble in his first start back.

Opposing Cole on the mound will be Tampa Bay right-hander Nick Martinez. Martinez has been a model of consistency this season, as he’s allowed 2 earned runs or fewer in all 9 of his starts. He enters this contest owning a stellar 1.51 ERA and 1.04 WHIP through 53.2 innings of work. The Rays have won 7 of his 9 starts, and Tampa Bay swept New York earlier this season in a 3-game series in Tampa. Given the question marks surrounding Cole and Martinez’s steady success on the mound, consider backing the Rays on the moneyline in this AL East showdown.

Rays vs Yankees prediction: Rays ML (+125) available at time of publishing. Playable to +120.