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Gerrit Cole will make a rehab start on Tuesday for Double-A Somerset, manager Aaron Boone told reporters Sunday, as the star pitcher continues his recovery from nerve inflammation in his right elbow.
Cole threw 43 pitches in a simulated game on Thursday at the team’s player development complex, making a rehab start the next logical step in his attempted return. He’s yet to pitch for the Yankees this season.
“We’ll see how he recovers now,” Boone told reporters after that simulated start. “I talked to Gerrit, sounds like everything went well today. He was pretty pleased with his outing and just how he felt. Assuming everything goes well, good chance at a rehab next.”
John Brophy @jbrophybaseball
Gerrit Cole briefly spoke to me, exclusive to @NYYUNDERGROUND
Tl;dr – he feels good after 43 pitches, next steps are to recover & possible rehab soon depending on how recovery goes. pic.twitter.com/ehCO95vg3y
Once he begins his rehabilitation assignment, the Yankees will have 30 days to recall him to the Majors. Given how strong the rotation has been this season, the team has zero incentive rush him back, making a late June or early July call-up the most likely scenario.
The starting five of Nestor Cortés, Marcus Stroman, Clarke Schmidt, Carlos Rodón and Luis Gil has been superb this season, leading the Yankees’ pitching staff to an MLB-best 2.74 ERA. It was unclear who the team was going to demote upon Cole’s return—or if the Yankees would have considered a six-man rotation—before Schmidt suffered a lat strain expected to sideline him for at least 4-6 weeks.
According to the New York Post’s Greg Joyce, the Yankees “are not expected to bring [Cole] back any earlier” because of Schmidt’s injury.
“It’s definitely devastating,” Schmidt told reporters regarding his own injury. “I’m probably having the most fun I’ve ever had playing this game in my career. Not only having success, but the team’s winning, the pitching staff’s doing really well and it’s just fun being able to go out there and compete every five days with these guys.”
Regardless of how the recovery timelines for Schmidt and Cole play out, getting the 33-year-old ace back will be a huge boon for a 41-19 Yankees team that has the second-best record in baseball. Cole is a six-time All-Star and was the AL Cy Young winner last season after going 15-4 in 33 starts with a 2.63 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 222 strikeouts across 209 innings.
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