Cole to make fourth Triple-A rehab start Saturday

PITTSBURGH -- Gerrit Cole isn't rejoining the Pirates' rotation just yet.

The right-hander will make his fourth rehab start for Triple-A Indianapolis this Saturday, manager Clint Hurdle announced Tuesday. On the disabled list with a strained right lat, Cole threw six shutout innings Sunday, tallying 74 pitches. Hurdle said the organization would like to see both Cole's innings and pitch count increase in the next outing.

"We believe the next time he's going to take it and go seven [innings] and close to 90 [pitches]," Hurdle said. "It puts him in a very good position to come back and help this club. We'll see, though, he hasn't pitched yet."

Cole hasn't started for the Pirates since July 4 and is on the DL for the second time this season. The Pirates have also been focusing on Cole's mechanics during this rehab process, and they even pushed back his second Triple-A start three days to bring extra attention to aspects such as his arm slot and the consistency of his delivery.

In his second Major League season, Cole is 7-4 with a 3.78 ERA in 14 starts, but he has appeared just twice since June 3.