Aaron Boone didn’t reveal much, but New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole appears ready to return to the rotation.
Cole pitched in his third rehab start on Friday with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and was dominant again. The 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner threw 70 pitches in 4 1/3 innings against the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, striking out 10 and walking none.
Cole has yet to pitch for the Yankees this season after being shut down during spring training due to right elbow inflammation. In his three rehab starts he has recorded 19 strikeouts and zero walks in 12 1/3 innings.
Boone would do it just say “we’ll see” when asked before the Yankees’ game against the Boston Red Sox on Friday about when Cole would rejoin the major league club.
“You want to see him reach a threshold tonight, see how he carries his stuff,” Boone said. “Being there will have a different level of adrenaline than when he first came back to us. Making sure he gets through that, what tomorrow will be like when he wakes up and gets moving. “Those will be things we all talk about.”
Boone said he wants to talk to Cole and the team’s medical staff to get an update on how Cole’s arm is feeling.
Cole was happy with his progress and hopes a decision will be made Sunday on whether he will need a fourth start in rehab.
“I’m looking forward to coming back very soon,” Cole said. via Sal Maiorana of the Democrat and Chronicle. “What a fun club it is now. So yeah, that’s part of the reason why I’m just trying to make sure I’m in a good position to help them.”