NEW YORK — Gerrit Cole’s road back from Tommy John surgery was already drawing scrutiny over his pitching results. Now a public accusation from a former major leaguer has added a different kind of attention.
Cole’s most recent Yankees rehab outing ended with a hit batter that put the Yankees ace at the center of a social media firestorm. The batter in question was the same one who had already taken him deep earlier in the game. A fastball rode inside. The hitter went down. And a former pitcher with over 1,250 innings of professional experience posted his verdict online within minutes.
He did not mince words.
McClung calls it intentional on social media
Former MLB pitcher Seth McClung had been watching the start unfold and saw the sequence clearly: a minor leaguer homers off a rehabbing Yankees ace, and the next time that same batter steps in, he takes a pitch to the body. McClung posted his reaction on X while the events were still fresh.
“This is what being hit intentionally looks like. I have no context to what happened, I don’t need it,” McClung said. “Honestly there’s no reason a big leaguer (rehab) needs to hit a minor leaguer.”
The post spread quickly through Yankees fan circles and drew wider baseball attention. McClung’s credibility as a former professional pitcher gave his opinion weight even without a formal investigation. The timing of the hit-by-pitch, directly after a home run by the same hitter, shaped how many people read the situation.
The batter Cole plunked was Caleb Bonemer. He had hit a solo home run off Cole earlier in the start. That blast was the only run Cole had allowed to that point in the outing. When Bonemer came up again, the pitch sailed inside and made contact.
No official investigation was opened. Cole was not ejected or warned. But McClung’s post made sure the moment did not go unnoticed.
A difficult stretch on the mound for Cole
The controversy arrived at an already difficult point in Cole’s Yankees rehab timeline. The Yankees ace has been working back from Tommy John surgery through a series of minor league starts, building up pitch counts and working on the sequencing and command that made him one of the best starters in the American League before his injury.
The results have been rough. Across four rehab starts, Cole has allowed 13 runs, 12 of them earned, in 18 2/3 innings. That works out to a 5.79 ERA. He has 14 strikeouts and a 1.02 WHIP, but the home run rate has been the sharpest concern. Cole has surrendered six home runs in less than 19 innings. In those starts, he has allowed 19 total baserunners, with 18 coming via hits and just one walk.
The numbers paint a picture of a pitcher filling the strike zone but leaving balls in hittable spots. Six home runs in under 19 innings is not what the Yankees envisioned when they mapped out this return.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone addressed Cole’s timeline this week, telling reporters that Cole would need at least two to three more rehab starts before the team would consider activating him for the major league roster.
What Cole’s return means for the Yankees
Cole signed with the Yankees before the 2020 season on a nine-year, $324 million deal, the largest contract ever given to a pitcher at the time. It remains a franchise-record commitment and set the expectation that Cole would anchor the rotation for the better part of a decade.
He largely delivered on that Yankees promise. His first four seasons in the Bronx featured dominant stretches and consistent All-Star caliber performances. The highlight came in 2023 when he won the AL Cy Young Award, finishing the regular season with a 2.63 ERA across 33 starts.
The injury problems began in 2024. Cole lasted just 17 starts before nerve inflammation and swelling in his throwing elbow ended his season. He attempted to return for 2025 spring training but struggled in a Grapefruit League start against the Minnesota Twins, giving up six runs and showing clear discomfort afterward.
Days later, Cole admitted publicly that he was worried about needing surgery. On March 10, 2025, the Yankees announced Cole would undergo Tommy John surgery. He missed the full 2025 Yankees season.
He returned to a mound for his first rehab work in 2026. The results have not matched expectations. The controversy from his most recent start added noise to an already difficult comeback narrative.
The Yankees rotation has held steady without him. Carlos Rodon is set to return Sunday, the staff ranks second in the majors with a 2.98 ERA, and the team sits at 25-12. Cole remains an important piece of what the Yankees are trying to build for a playoff run, but the path back is taking longer and getting messier than anyone hoped.
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