NEW YORK — Gerrit Cole threw 4 1/3 innings for Double-A Somerset on Friday night and gave up three runs. He allowed a two-run homer in the second inning. He walked a batter. His fastball touched 96 mph. He struck out three. He emerged healthy.
Those are the facts of the Yankees ace’s first rehab start since Tommy John surgery. They are straightforward enough. What is less straightforward is what comes next.
On Saturday, Yankees skipper Aaron Boone was asked about the plan for Cole’s return. His answer raised more questions than it answered.
Boone declines to give specifics, and that’s the story
Cole’s next Yankees outing will be at either Triple-A Scranton or High-A Hudson Valley. The organization has not decided which. Beyond that, the plan gets vague.
Boone said Cole will need several more starts before rejoining the Yankees rotation. He declined to say how many. He was also asked about Cole’s target pitch count for future outings. He declined to give a number on that too.
Asked to elaborate, Boone offered an explanation that confirmed patience without offering precision. He framed the approach in general terms that gave no specific milestone to point to.
“We probably want him to get up to a certain amount and repeat that even once he gets up there,” Boone said. “Nothing’s imminent here. We’ll be disciplined and make sure we take the right amount of time.”
Nothing’s imminent. Vague on starts. Vague on pitch count. Vague on level. That three-layered non-answer is the Yankees front office telling fans: do not circle a date on the calendar yet.
What the start actually showed
The first inning was clean. Cole retired all three batters. He nearly gave up a homer to Carson DeMartini on the second pitch, but the ball drifted foul. A swing-and-miss breaking ball ended the at-bat.
Then came the delay. The Yankees’ Double-A affiliate batted around in the bottom of the first, sending ten men to the plate in a five-run inning. Cole sat in the dugout for more than 20 minutes before returning to the mound.
The long wait showed. Cole walked a batter, then gave up an RBI double to Dylan Campbell, then a two-run homer to Bryson Ware. Three runs. Two batters after the walk caused the damage.
The Yankees ace did not hide from it. He was direct about the second inning and what it exposed.
“I didn’t come out quite so sharp that inning so that was a good challenge,” Cole said. “That was really the only time the command was a little shaky. The walk was a bad walk.”
He settled after that. The third inning took four pitches. The fourth took four pitches. He came back for one batter in the fifth, fielded a grounder and walked off to applause. Final line: 4 1/3 IP, 3 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 44 pitches.
The Yankees right-hander also nearly failed to cover first base on a grounder in the third inning, arriving late to the bag. Somerset’s first baseman stepped on in time. Cole acknowledged it without deflection.
“I got there late,” Cole said. “That was not good.”
That moment carried specific weight. Cole tore his UCL covering first base in the 2024 World Series, a play that cost the Yankees their ace for 13 months. Friday’s stumble was minor. The context was not.
Cole’s honest verdict on himself
After the outing, Cole was asked to assess his performance for the Yankees. He gave a measured answer that acknowledged the gap between Friday’s version and his standard.
“I have a lot of confidence, but tonight was probably not the exact same guy,” Cole said. “Hopefully, it’s on its way.”
He had also said before the start that he had no complaints about his buildup. “Stamina was good, pitches are fine,” he told reporters earlier in the week.
The context around the start matters. Cole had not pitched in an official game since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, over 13 months earlier. He had made two spring training appearances in March and thrown simulated innings. Friday was the first real test.
The Yankees were 11-9 entering the weekend. The rotation, anchored by Max Fried and Cam Schlittler, has been the strongest part of the team’s early performance. Carlos Rodon threw live batting practice Saturday and needs three more rehab starts before the Yankees rotation can use him. Cole needs several more starts — undefined — before the Yankees will activate him.
That combination gives Yankees fans reason to watch the next few weeks closely. Not with panic. But with attention to every next Yankees update.
What do you think?
