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New York Yankees star pitcher Gerrit Cole is making his way back from a nerve injury in his elbow, and he made his first rehab start on Tuesday. So, how much closer is he to a return?
Yankees fans shouldn't get too excited just yet.
Manager Aaron Boone says that Cole will need “at least a couple more” rehab starts before he can think about returning to New York's rotation, via Gary Phillips of The New York Daily News.
Cole struck out five while allowing two hits in 3.1 innings in his rehab start for Double-A Somerset on Tuesday evening.
The 33-year-old originally suffered his injury in spring training and has been sidelined ever since. There was an initial concern that the 2023 AL Cy Young award winner could potentially need surgery, but those worries were immediately quelled.
Cole is in his fifth season with the Yankees after signing a nine-year, $324 million contract with the club in December 2019.
The UCLA product—who was originally drafted by the Yankees back in 2008—had his best season in the Bronx in 2023, going 15-4 with a 2.63 ERA. Over 209 innings of work, he allowed just 157 hits while registering 222 strikeouts.
The Yankees' rotation has not skipped a beat without Gerrit Cole
When the news of Cole's injury first broke, many already began writing the Yankees' obituary.
How could New York possibly manage without its frontline ace?
Well, not only have the Yankees managed, but they have dominated. Even without Cole, New York boasts the best ERA in baseball at 2.75. Only one other team has a sub-3 ERA, and that's the Philadelphia Phillies at 2.96.
Luis Gil, who would have been in the minor leagues had it not been for Cole being placed on the shelf, leads the league with a 1.81 ERA and has gone 8-1 over 12 starts. He has surrendered only 30 hits while fanning 85 hitters across 69.1 frames.
Both Marcus Stroman and Clarke Schmidt lay claim to ERAs under 3, although Schmidt is now on the injured list due to a lat strain. Carlos Rodon—the Yankees' prized offseason acquisition from two winters ago—has gone 7-2 with a 3.09 ERA. Nestor Cortes has been the Yanks' “worst” starter, recording a 3.46 ERA.
Taking all of that into consideration, it's no surprise that the Yankees own the best record in the bigs at 43-19. They have also been dominant offensively, with Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton putting on a breathtaking power display over these first couple of months.
Now, imagine how much better the Bronx Bombers will look after getting Cole back?
June has been the target date for Cole for quite some time now, so he appears to be right on schedule. Obviously, the Yanks will have to monitor his progress in the rest of his rehab starts before deciding whether or not he will return to the bump in the majors.
The Yankees will play the second game of their three-game set with the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night. Following their series with the Twins, New York will battle the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first of three games on Friday which will represent a potential World Series preview.
