Gerrit Cole‘s rehabilitation from right elbow inflammation appears to be on track. The New York Yankees ace made his second rehab start with the Double-A Somerset Patriots on Sunday afternoon, showcasing promising progress.
How it happened
During the outing against the Hartford Yard Goats, a Colorado Rockies affiliate, Gerrit Cole pitched 4 2/3 innings, throwing a total of 57 pitches, 44 of which were strikes. His velocity ranged between 92 and 96 mph, as reported by Randy Miller of NJ.com. Cole allowed one run on two hits and struck out four batters. The sole run came from a first-inning home run by Ryan Ritter, currently ranked as the Rockies’ No. 12 prospect by MLB.com.
Gerrit Cole’s performance indicates he is on a good path toward full recovery. Yankees manager Aaron Boone discussed Cole’s potential return to the major league roster, noting that he might not need to be fully stretched out to 100 pitches before rejoining the team.
“I think that’s possible that he doesn’t come to us at, call it 100 pitches or whatever,” Boone mentioned on Saturday. “What that point is, I don’t know. That hasn’t been decided yet.”
According to latest reports, Gerrit Cole is expected to make at least one more rehab start, scheduled for Friday, following the standard four days of rest. It remains undecided whether this next start will be for Somerset or the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. On Friday, Somerset faces Binghamton, while Scranton/Wilkes-Barre plays in Rochester.
What lies ahead of Gerrit Cole?
Gerrit Cole has yet to pitch for the Yankees this season due to the inflammation issue that sidelined him during spring training. In his first rehab start, he threw 45 pitches over 3 2/3 innings, showing a steady increase in workload and endurance.
If Gerrit Cole continues his current progression, he could rejoin the Yankees during their upcoming home series against the Baltimore Orioles from June 18-20. The Yankees, currently leading the American League with a 2.82 ERA in their starting rotation.
The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner’s return is highly anticipated, and his successful rehab starts are an encouraging indication that he will soon be back to fortify an already dominant Yankees rotation. As the team waits for his return, fans and management alike are optimistic about the impact he will have once he steps back onto the mound at Yankee Stadium.
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