Yankees' Cole needs several more rehab outings, Boone says - ESPN

NEW YORK — Gerrit Cole's first rehab start since undergoing Tommy John surgery was, by all accounts, a success.

The right-hander, pitching for Double-A Somerset on Friday, allowed three runs on three hits across 4⅓ innings while pounding the strike zone, throwing 36 of his 44 pitches for strikes. Most importantly, he emerged healthy.

Cole's next outing will be either for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre or High-A Hudson Valley. The long-term plan remains unclear.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Cole will need «several more» starts before he joins the rotation, declining to give a specific number. He was also vague about Cole's target number of pitches.

«We probably want him to get up to a certain amount and repeat that even once he gets up there,» Boone said Saturday morning. «Nothing's imminent here. We'll be disciplined and make sure we take the right amount of time.»

Boone noted Cole has not pitched in a game with stakes since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series. He appeared in two spring training games, logging 2⅔ innings, before returning to live batting practice sessions until Friday's rehab outing.

The 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner, whose fastball touched 96 mph, yielded an RBI double and two-run homer in the second inning. He issued one walk and recorded three strikeouts. He faced a heavy left-handed-hitting lineup, allowing him to work on his changeup.

«Just a lot of strike-throwing,» Cole, 35, said Saturday morning. «Pretty solid, pretty solid delivery overall from the stuff I've looked at this morning.»

Carlos Rodón, the Yankees' All-Star pitcher on the injured list, was scheduled to throw 55-60 pitches in a live batting practice session with Somerset on Saturday. Boone said Rodón, who