Yankees ace Gerrit Cole throws 4 1/3 innings at Double-A in his first minor league rehab start
NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees ace Gerrit Cole gave up three runs over 4 1/3 innings Friday night for Double-A Somerset in his first minor league rehabilitation start since Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the entire 2025 season. The right-hander threw 36 of his 44 pitches for strikes against Reading, a Philadelphia Phillies affiliate. He allowed three hits, including a two-run homer, and one walk while striking out three.
“Excited for him," New York manager Aaron Boone said hours earlier, before his team played the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium. "Another good step along the way for him and hopefully everything goes smooth for him, and start that process. ” In the same Double-A game, Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe went 1 for 2 with a single and a walk.
He also scored twice and stole a base. Volpe is rehabbing a torn labrum in his left shoulder that required surgery. He began playing rehab games earlier this week.
The target for Cole was about 45 pitches, and he exited with a 7-3 lead after fielding a grounder to retire the leadoff man in the fifth. Cole set down his initial three batters before the Patriots sent 10 hitters to the plate in a five-run first inning. In the second, he yielded a two-out RBI double to Dylan Campbell and an opposite-field homer to Bryson Ware.
In other Yankees rehab news, three-time All-Star Carlos Rodón is scheduled to face hitters again Saturday in live batting practice at Somerset and will likely begin a rehab assignment next week. Boone has said the left-hander will need three rehab games. Rodón threw 50 pitches to batters over three simulated innings before Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels.