The New York Yankees have gotten excellent pitching performances from their rotation this season, and as a whole, they lead all of baseball in ERA (2.78). Gerrit Cole has yet to throw a single pitch for the Yankees this season, but he will step on a mound to pitch in a professional game for the first time since going down with his elbow inflammation injury early in Spring Training. The right-hander is the reigning AL Cy Young winner, and one could reasonably argue he’s the best pitcher on the planet.
Aaron Boone told reporters that the right-hander is set to make his first rehab start on Tuesday, as he joins the Somerset Patriots next week to get ramped up for a return to the Bronx.
Gerrit Cole Set to Begin Rehab Assignment With Yankees’ Double-A Affiliate
Last season was one of Gerrit Cole’s finest in what’s been an illustrious career full of remarkable performances on the mound. The only thing missing for the 2024 Yankees has been the leader of their pitching staff, as Cole could take this team to another level if he’s able to return to his Cy Young form. He racked up 222 strikeouts with a 2.63 ERA across 33 starts for the Bronx Bombers, finally taking home an award you could argue he should have won two different times in his career before that.
With the injury to Clarke Schmidt, there’s a much easier clearer answer to how the Yankees would align their rotation when Gerrit Cole gets back, as Cody Poteet would likely get optioned. There’s still some time until the Yankees will have to make that decision, so this is assuming health which can be a tricky thing when it comes to pitchers. It could also allow the team to strengthen their bullpen when someone like Schmidt returns, as they’ll be able to slot a starter into their bullpen.
The Somerset Patriots will remain in New Jersey next week, so you can see Gerrit Cole live at TD Bank Ballpark on Tuesday, where he’ll take a massive step towards returning. From that point the Yankees will have 30 days to either return him to the Major Leagues or pull him from his rehab assignment to spend more time on the IL. This means we could see Gerrit Cole back on the mound for the Yankees as soon as July 4th.