TAMPA, Fla. — Hours before the Yankees hosted a collection of Red Sox minor leaguers on Wednesday, Gerrit Cole was met with a playful greeting as he strolled up to his locker at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

“Hey Gerrit!” his neighbor, Cam Schlittler, said with a humorous tone. “You excited? Big day for you!”

The truth is, Wednesday was a big day for Cole, as he made his first start since undergoing Tommy John surgery 372 days ago. And while the spring training outing only lasted one inning and 10 pitches, the most significant step in Cole’s rehab to date wasn’t uneventful.

Right off the bat, Cole’s first pitch, a 96.6-mph fastball, was met with a bunt single from Boston’s Braiden Ward. The 2023 Cy Young winner tried to make a sliding play on the ball near the first base line, but Ward, who recently set the spring training stolen base record, reached with ease. Ward then picked up his 19th stolen base, swiping second.

But Ward got greedy and attempted to steal again. This time, Austin Wells threw the runner out at third, allowing Cole to go back to the old-school, over-the-head-windup he debuted earlier this spring.

While Ward’s speed made for a rude welcoming, the most notable part of Cole’s day was his velocity.

The bearded right-hander, who hasn’t thrown in a meaningful contest since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, averaged 97.1 mph with his four-seamer. The pitch topped out at 98.7 mph.

Cole also threw his knuckle-curve and slider before his afternoon came to an end. Meanwhile, seven of his 10 pitches were strikes.

While Cole still has a ways to go before he’s ready for his season debut — he and the Yankees are hoping for late May or early June — Wednesday checked a box that neither he nor the team wanted to commit to at the start of spring training. The fact that he was able to get in a game this spring “indicates where he is and how well it is going,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday.

Even with the lack of hiccups, the Yankees and Cole have insisted that they will not rush his rehab process. With a week left to go in spring training and Cole set to start the season on the injured list, that’s not going to change.