NEW YORK – Gerrit Cole said he was “not messing around” as he carried a quad-espresso Starbucks order through the players’ entrance before his sixth Minor League rehab start of the year.
A few hours later, the Yankees right-hander had touched 99.6 mph, looking every bit like an ace ready to impact a postseason race.
Cole threw 86 pitches (56 strikes) over 5 1/3 innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday in a 6-2, 10-inning loss to Syracuse. The Yankees are planning for Cole to make one more rehab start, then likely rejoin the rotation during their May 25-27 series against the Royals in Kansas City.
“So far, so good,” Cole said. “It’s been a good progression. The pitch count is steadily increasing. The recovery has been good, and the velocity and command are steadily increasing as well.”
That’s right on schedule with the club’s envisioned timetable for Cole, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery performed in March 2025. General manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone have consistently outlined late May or early June for Cole’s return.
“Gerrit’s getting close,” Boone said on Sunday. “We really like the way he’s looking right now. I feel like that’s going to be a welcome addition to our rotation. … It looks like he’s in a good place. Right now, the plan is one more, and then we’ll go from there.”
Cole’s outing was his first at Triple-A following two starts for High-A Hudson Valley and three for Double-A Somerset. Cole was touched for one run on six hits while walking one and striking out six. He averaged 97 mph with his fastball.
“I felt really good,” Cole said. “Some good velocity tonight. Some good locations; some good quick innings and some innings that tested us.”
After making two appearances during Spring Training, Cole has worked 29 Minor League innings, permitting 17 runs (15 earned) for a 4.66 ERA. He has allowed 28 hits and issued three walks while striking out 28.
Asked what he has learned through this process, Cole laughed and said, “I’m capable of being patient.”
“It’s just a really long rehab,” Cole added. “If you include the offseason from the year prior, it's been about 17 months since I last performed in the big leagues, so no matter how you slice it, that's a long time."
Cole’s pending return comes as the Yankees navigate an injury to left-hander Max Fried, who landed on the 15-day injured list on Saturday with a left elbow bone bruise that will keep him from throwing for several weeks.
That prompted Elmer Rodríguez’s return to the rotation, with the rookie right-hander set to make his third Major League start on Sunday against the Mets at Citi Field.
“It’s unfortunate, but thankfully we have good depth in order to cover him in the interim,” Cole said.
While Carlos Rodón has looked shaky in two starts since returning from the injured list, including a 6-3 loss to the Mets on Saturday, Cam Schlittler (6-1, 1.35 ERA) is an early candidate for the American League Cy Young Award.
Ryan Weathers (2-2, 3.00 ERA) and Will Warren (5-1, 3.42 ERA) have largely been solid as well.
“I feel like [the rotation] should be a strength moving forward for us,” Boone said, “but we’ve got to prove that.”