The New York Yankees have a major addition almost ready to return to their roster.
Reigning American League Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole completed his first rehab start for the Yankees in the minor leagues on Tuesday.
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Cole threw 3.1 scoreless innings with his fastball reaching 97 mph at Double-A Somerset.
The start of his rehab was Cole’s first game of the 2024 season, in which he allowed just two singles and no walks while striking out five batters.
“I haven’t gone through this process in a while, so I’m starting one at a time and I’ll let my body tell me when we’re ready,” Cole said.
“I had a lot of adrenaline and I had to contain myself a little. It’s a good place to be.
“Certainly, if you gave me a numerical scale of where I was six weeks ago, I would say [I’m] definitely close.
“I’m not sure how many more we’ll need, but definitely closer, not farther. It should be coming now.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday he expects Cole to have “at least a couple” rehab sessions before returning to the Bronx.
Cole echoed that sentiment, saying it “wouldn’t be a responsible thing to do” to return after just one start of rehab despite feeling fine.
The Cy Young winner was shut down during spring training with nerve inflammation and swelling in his right elbow and didn’t face hitters for the first time until late May.
Anticipation is high for Cole’s return, as he was arguably the most dominant pitcher in baseball last year.
In 207 innings, he pitched to a 2.63 ERA with 222 strikeouts and earning a 15-4 record.
While the Yankees are likely eager to have their ace back in the rotation, they don’t exactly need him right now.
The Bronx Bombers entered Tuesday with a career-best starting pitching ERA of 2.78. Their worst starter has a 3.56 ERA.
“That’s something we’ll work on as we move forward,” Boone said.
“When do we want to catch him? How many pitches do we want him to hit?
Home runs and boomsticks
MLB is back in London for the third time this summer when the Philadelphia Phillies take on the New York Mets.
The London Stadium will transform from a football field to a baseball field for the June 8th and 9th spectacle.
Fans attending games can indulge in some extravagant menu items like boomstick nachos (pictured) and a 2-foot boomstick hot dog.
The New York Yankees won both games in 2019 against the rival Boston Red Sox.
And the Chicago Cubs split their series with the St Louis Cardinals when the teams meet in 2023.
“All of this will be taken into consideration and we will work with Gerrit on this as well.”
Cole enjoyed his time back on the mound and explained how everything looked good during the game.
“I thought it was really fun overall. It was a nice environment and it was really good to be back there and get back into the flow of things,” Cole said.
“[I was happy with] all. I threw all my pitches for strikes. I managed to pass the ball to both sides of the plate, I got to the bottom and top of the hitting zone, so it was good.
“It was just a lively atmosphere, a beautiful summer night, the big club is having a good night so it’s all good.”
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
