The New York Yankees need Gerrit Cole to return to the lineup stronger and fitter. Last year, nothing really went right for the NY side. They had failed to make it to the postseason for the first time since 2016. Moreover, the 82-80 record was really humiliating for the most iconic team in the league. 2023 was their worst season in the last 30 years. However, even when the team was not performing well, there was one man who had the best performance of his career. That was the ace pitcher of the Yankees, Gerrit Cole. He was the best player for the NY side last season.
As a result, Cole won his first career American League Cy Young Award. Since then, the Bronx Bombers have been looking for redemption in the new season. Fans expected the ace to continue his hot streak in the new season as well. However, things did not go as planned. It took a detour as Cole hurt his right elbow during spring training. Since then, the ace hurler has been on the 60-day Injured List. Albeit the team is doing well so far, they would love for Cole to return to the lineup healthier and sooner. Lately, the Yankees ace started his second rehab.
How Soon Can Gerrit Cole Return To The Big League?
According to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, Gerrit Cole had a flourishing outing on Sunday. However, there are still more rehab days to go for the ace pitcher. He started his second rehab for the Double-A Somerset. The NY side has missed their ace pitcher in the current regular season so far. He had a nerve inflammation after hurting his right elbow during spring training. Last Sunday, Cole looked pretty good, as he has always been on the mound. He kept pounding the strike zone. He was able to retire the last eight batters he pitched to. Moreover, Gerrit Cole pumped the last couple of strikeouts with fastballs of nearly 95 mph. Later, the New York Post quoted Cole saying, “I was surely getting stronger as the game progressed.”
Most importantly, the reigning AL Cy Young winner was glad to check a lot of boxes on Sunday. At present, it seems “Tough to say” if the Yankees ace hurler will need more than one rehab game. Nonetheless, Gerrit Cole expects to play one more rehab game. It might be either for the Double-A Somerset or for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. At TD Bank Ballpark, Cole threw 57 pitches, and 44 of them were for strikes. After pitching 4 2/3 innings, the reigning AL Cy Young winner topped 96 mph, helping his team enjoy a 4-2 win against the Hartford Yard Goats.
The Yankees Ace Feels Good About His Progress
Even in rehab, Gerrit Cole says that he wants to face advanced hitters. Adding to that, Cole said he can have an approach to a certain extent in Triple-A because there are a lot of older guys. With Hartford, there have been three or four older guys, too, who had an above-average bat speed in major league standards.
After Sunday’s games, Cole said those three or four hitters of Hartford are all aggressive and put on good swings to quality pitches. About his own performance, Gerrit Cole said he messed up the fastball early on. He said, “The fastball was missing in bad places.” Later in the game, though, Cole said the last seven or eight fastballs in a row showed progress.
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