Yankees Set Next Step For Rehabbing Ace as He Moves Closer to Return

The Yankee ace and reigning AL Cy Young winner continues to work his way back.

Jun 4, 2024; Bridgewater, NJ, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole reacts during the 4th inning of a MLB rehab assignment with the Somerset Patriots against the Hartford Yard Goats at TD Bank Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports / John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Gerrit Cole will toe the slab again this weekend in Somerset.

The ace of the New York Yankees and the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner will be making a second rehab appearance with the Double-A Somerset Patriots on Sunday. Once again, he will face the Hartford Yard Goats, the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, in front of a sure to be jam-packed crowd at TD Bank Ballpark. Beat writer Bryan Hoch was the first to report.

Gerrit Cole will start for Somerset again on Sunday.

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) June 7, 2024

Cole's previous rehab start came on Tuesday, and he didn't miss a beat. Although he allowed a pair of hits, he went 3.1 innings and threw 45 pitches (34 strikes) without allowing a run or walking a batter. He additionally struck out five, and his amazing fastball reached as high as 97 mph.

Gerrit Cole in his first rehab start:

3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K pic.twitter.com/acz8iUbJmg

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 4, 2024

As expected, the Yankees are not rushing Cole back to the big leagues, and will give him "at least a couple more" rehab starts, according to manager Aaron Boone. But all signs point to the 33-year-old righty coming back by the end of the month, if not early July, barring any setbacks.

While Cole is facing the same team as he did in his previous start, he will have a different catcher on Sunday. 25-year-old prospect Ben Rice was behind the dish on Tuesday, with Cole praising him during his media session. However, the highly-regarded Rice was called up to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday.

Cole will likely replace Cody Poteet in the Yankees' rotation upon his return; Poteet himself is replacing the injured Clarke Schmidt. Even then, New York's rotation without Cole has been utterly tremendous, with a collective 2.82 ERA that ranks as the best in the American League and the second-best in MLB (behind only the Philadelphia Phillies); when accounting for all pitchers (including bullpen), New York's 2.85 ERA is the best in the majors.

When Cole returns to the Bronx, the Yankees will be a "fully operational Death Star" that can beat any opponent that comes their way.