Gerrit Cole’s return to the New York Yankees starting rotation was believed to be close when the ace threw his first rehab start last month. However, skipper Aaron Boone insisted that the franchise is taking one day at a time as rushing could jeopardise his rehab program.
Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole, recovering from elbow nerve inflammation, pitched as many as three rehab starts by leveling up innings and pitch count with each minor league start. However, while the reigning AL CY Young pitcher seems ready to rejoin the big leagues, manager Aaron Boone is still non-committal on a potential return date.
Suspense Over Gerrit Cole’s Return To Yankees Stays
The New York Yankees continue to grapple with uncertainty regarding the return of their ace pitcher, Gerrit Cole. Cole, who has been sidelined due to an elbow nerve inflammation injury, remains a key figure in the New York Yankees’ pitching rotation. His absence has begun to bother the team, especially after Clarke Schmidt’s injury. Having said that, Cole successfully completed his rehab assignment this week in minor leagues. After pitching two rehab starts with Double-A, the ace was promoted to Triple-A for his third start on Friday. Cole threw 70 pitches across 4.2 innings and struck out as many as 10 batters without allowing an earned run. He said he felt good and ready to rejoin his team in the big leagues.
However, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone refrained from committing to Gerrit Cole’s potential return date. Boone said the team will hold a meeting in the next 48 hours to determine if Cole should be put back into the major league rotation or continue his rehab assignment for another week. “Obviously, he’s going to have a huge say in that, especially if it’s another rehab start,” Boone said in a press conference. Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole also said that he needs to review computer data to understand where he stands. While physically, the pitcher feels ready; his assessment has to align with the ones shown on the data for the Yanks to make a smart call on his potential return. However, if all things go well, in an ideal world, Gerrit Cole should be able to make his season debut in the upcoming home series against AL-East rivals Baltimore Orioles.
Marcus Stroman Apparently Rejected Red Sox For Yanks
In a startling revelation, MLB insider Bryan Hoch claimed that Marcus Stroman considered signing with Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals before eventually agreeing to head to New York to join the Yankees this off-season. Stroman had opted out of his Cubs contract to enter the off-season as free agent.
And despite past beef, Marcus Stroman insisted that he would make a difference in New York as the place is his home. Stroman lived to his word to some extent, as he posted a 3.08 ERA across 15 starts this year. Notably, the left-handed pitcherhas a two-year contract in place with an option for the third year, given he fulfills innings limit criteria.
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