Boone: Cole needs 'several more' rehab outings

NEW YORK -- Gerrit Cole's first rehab start since undergoing Tommy John surgery was, by all accounts, a success.

The right-hander, pitching for Double-A Somerset on Friday, allowed three runs on three hits across 4⅓ innings, while pounding the strike zone, throwing 36 of his 44 pitches for strikes. Most importantly, he emerged healthy.

Cole's next outing will be either for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre or High-A Hudson Valley. The long-term plan remains unclear.

Manager Aaron Boone said Cole will need "several more" starts before joining the rotation, declining to give a specific number. He was also vague about Cole's target number of pitches.

"We probably want him to get up to a certain amount and repeat that even once he gets up there," Boone said Saturday morning. "Nothing's imminent here. We'll be disciplined and make sure we take the right amount of time."

Boone noted Cole has not pitched in a game with stakes since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series. He appeared in two spring training games, logging 2⅔ innings, before returning to live batting practice sessions until Friday's rehab outing.

The 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner, whose fastball touched 96 mph, yielded an RBI double and two-run home run in the second inning. He issued one walk and recorded three strikeouts. He faced a heavy left-handed-hitting lineup, allowing him to work on his changeup.

"Just a lot of strike-throwing," Cole, 35, said Saturday morning. "Pretty solid, pretty solid delivery overall from the stuff I've looked at this morning."

Carlos Rodón, the Yankees' All-Star pitcher on the injured list, was scheduled to throw 55-60 pitches in a live batting practice session with Somerset on Saturday. Boone said Rodón, who underwent elbow surgery in October, will begin his own rehab assignment next week if he doesn't suffer a setback Saturday.

Boone also said Rodón will "probably" join the Yankees before Cole despite starting his rehab assignment earlier. That was expected going into the season. The Yankees are eyeing early June at the latest for Cole's season debut.

The Yankees' rotation has been one of the best in the majors without Cole and Rodón. It entered Saturday's game against the Kansas City Royals with a collective 3.21 ERA through 20 games, good for sixth in baseball. But Cole and Rodón, with nine All-Star Game appearances between them, should serve as upgrades while allowing the Yankees to move two starters to help the struggling bullpen. Friday represented a significant step in the right direction.

"It's nice to work on things, but at the end you have to get outs," Cole said. "So, there might be some situations where I get stressed and then long innings, short innings, long innings on the bench, those things like that, just trying to handle it when they come your way. And then continue to work out the recovery in between. Finding out what's working, what's helping. And getting a good pattern and good rhythm to lay a baseline down for what's to come next."