Gerrit Cole may make his next start at Yankee Stadium, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on May 19. Cole recently reached a velocity of 99.6 miles per hour during a Minor League rehab assignment for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The decision to activate Cole, the 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner, is being discussed by team officials as they consider what is best for both the player and the club during this homestand.
“We’re kind of talking about that here today and tomorrow,” Boone said. “We’ll make a call one way or the other, but we felt like we needed an extra arm in there today. We’re talking through everything. We’ll see what makes the most sense moving forward.”
Rookie Elmer Rodríguez was originally scheduled to remain in the rotation but was optioned to Triple-A on Monday after signing right-handed reliever Yovanny Cruz to a Major League contract and adding him to the active roster. “Obviously, we’ve got Gerrit coming back, so it’s a tough situation,” Rodríguez said. “I’ll just take the positive outing, go out there and continue to be myself and hopefully be back.”
Cole threw 86 pitches over five and one-third innings for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in his latest appearance. If he returns during this homestand, it would likely occur Friday against Tampa Bay; otherwise, another Minor League start could delay his return until an upcoming road trip.
“It’ll just be everyone that’s involved, from the training staff to Gerrit, just wanting to do the right thing – what’s the right timing?” Boone said. “Whatever we do, it’s with the long game in mind. A need doesn’t necessarily mean we’re bringing him back. If we feel he’s absolutely ready to go, we’ll make that call.”
After two Spring Training appearances this year, Cole has pitched 29 Minor League innings with a 4.66 earned run average (ERA), allowing 28 hits and three walks while striking out 28 batters.
“So far, so good,” Cole said on Saturday in Moosic, Pennsylvania. “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.”
Yovanny Cruz will be making his Major League debut when he appears in a game for New York after recording five wins with Triple-A this season.
