Gerrit Cole has been out of baseball for closer to two years than one. It's been 569 days, to be exact. The Yankees ace last pitched in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, back on Oct. 30, 2024. He then underwent Tommy John surgery in March of last year, and missed the entire 2025 season. Now, nearly two months into the 2026 season, he will finally return to the mound, starting against the Rays on Friday. It will be no easy task for Cole to return against Tampa Bay, which has the second-best record in baseball and the best record in the American League. Let's check out the odds for Cole's comeback season as of May 22 at DraftKings Sportsbook. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. Regular-season strikeouts Over 118.5: -115 (bet $10 to win $18.70 total)Under 118.5: -115 (bet $10 to win $18.70 total) What to know: Cole pitched 12 seasons before missing last season due to surgery, and he spent many of those years in the conversation for the game's best pitcher. He had eight seasons with over 118 strikeouts, including 202 in 2015, 276 in 2018, an MLB-leading 326 in 2019, 243 in 2021, an MLB-leading 257 in 2022 and 222 in 2023. He won the AL Cy Young in 2023, and is a six-time All-Star. Two other times he finished second in the Cy Young voting. Regular-season ERA Over 3.85: -105 (bet $10 to win $19.52 total)Under 3.85: -125 (bet $10 to win $18 total) What to know: Twice Cole has led the majors in ERA in 2019 (2.50) and in 2023 (2.63). Outside those two seasons, he's had eight other seasons with an ERA below 3.85, and in total, he's had five seasons with an ERA under 3.0.

Charles Barkley blasted the Cavaliers offensive strategy after Evan Mobley stopped getting touches in Clevelands Game 2 loss to the Knicks as Donovan Mitchell addressed injury concerns.

Here's how this week's two-start slate stacks up

Thiago Silva left Chelsea in 2024 [Getty Images]Legendary defender Thiago Silva is still weighing up his options after announcing his decision to leave Porto.Sources close to the 41-year-old say a final decision has yet to be made, while a coaching role at Chelsea's academy is not understood to be on the table at present.That is not to say one could not be offered at a later date, with Silva maintaining positive relationships at Stamford Bridge. He was recently welcomed as a guest in the directors' box for Chelsea's home defeat by Nottingham Forest.Silva is also known to be keen to embark on a coaching career, having completed his Uefa B licence, and has retained his family home near Chelsea's training ground in Cobham.However, it has been further explained that Silva wanted to weigh up all his options having been omitted from Brazil's squad. It remains unclear whether that will be to retire and go into coaching or continue playing, with reported interest from AC Milan. Silva made 14 appearances for Porto having joined from his boyhood club Fluminense in January, winning the Portuguese league title. Speaking about his departure, Porto boss Francesco Farioli said: "Thiago Silva would love to be a coach in the future and I think he will become a great one."

The NCAA enforcement staff opened an investigation of Ole Miss football program the same day that Clemson coach Dabo Swinney accused Rebels coach Pete Golding of tampering with linebacker Luke Ferrelli.

The NRL has confirmed the Melbourne Storm, Wests Tigers, Parramatta Eels and Gold Coast Titans as the four teams to be part of the 2027 Las Vegas season opener extravaganza.

Congo were recently forced to cancel a pre-World Cup training camp in their capital city, Kinshasa, weeks before they are due to travel to the United States due to the Ebola outbreak.

Leading tennis players staged a coordinated demonstration at Roland Garros on Friday, restricting their media obligations to just 15 minutes during the tournament's preview day.World number one Aryna Sabalenka spearheaded the action, which saw approximately 20 elite competitors curtail their press duties in a symbolic gesture reflecting the current revenue allocation at Grand Slam events.The 15-minute restriction represents the roughly 15 per cent share of tournament income that players currently receive as prize money.Men's top-ranked player Jannik Sinner and four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek joined the protest alongside American star Coco Gauff.Participants confined their activities to a brief press conference and host broadcaster interview, declining additional media requests and refusing to produce social media content for the tournament.The coalition of players is demanding that Grand Slam tournaments boost their prize money allocation from the current 15.5 per cent to 22 per cent of overall revenue.This figure falls notably short of what competitors receive at regular ATP and WTA Tour events, where the share is approximately seven percentage points higher.Beyond increased earnings, the group has been pressing for investment in player welfare initiatives, including pension contributions.They are also seeking a seat at the table when major decisions affecting the sport are made.The players first raised these concerns in correspondence sent to all four Grand Slam organisers last spring.Earlier this month, they issued a statement expressing particular frustration with the French Open's response to their requests.Sabalenka emphasised that her stance was not driven by personal gain. "It's not about me. It's about the players who are lower in the ranking, who are suffering," she said. "But as the world No 1, I feel like I have to stand up and to fight for those players."The Belarusian stressed the group's intention to conduct their protest with dignity. "We wanted to do it in a respectful way at the beginning, and you guys know how much we respect you and we appreciate you. It's not about you. It's just we are trying to fight for a fair percentage," she told journalists.Swiatek offered a pointed response regarding future action: "We will do more when the tournament will do more for us."Sinner echoed the call for solidarity among competitors. "It takes all players, and players are very connected and we are all very much together," he stated, adding that waiting more than a year for even a modest response from organisers was disrespectful.Not all players were comfortable with escalating the dispute. Taylor Fritz expressed caution about threatening more drastic measures: "I don't know if I want to start throwing around the 'B' word. It's a really big deal, and I don't think we as players should really make big threats like that unless we're fully ready to do it."Roland Garros officials voiced their disappointment at the situation earlier this week and confirmed their willingness to engage with competitors.A meeting with player representatives was arranged for Friday.Wimbledon organisers are monitoring developments closely and plan to hold discussions in Paris next week before announcing their own prize money figures next month.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

Ukraine said it hit Russia's elite Rubicon drone military unit in a Moscow-occupied part of eastern Ukraine.

Im Kampf um einen Europapokalplatz hat der TBV Lemgo Lippe in der Handball-Bundesliga einen wichtigen Sieg beim ThSV Eisenach gefeiert.[mehr]