Gerrit Cole throws 60 pitches in third rehab start as journey back to Yankees continues

Gerrit Cole’s pitch count keeps climbing in the minors as he prepares to rejoin the New York Yankees this season. Cole, a six-time All-Star who will be 36 in September, is attempting to complete a long-awaited comeback from Tommy John surgery, which cost him the 2025 campaign.

On April 16, the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner threw 44 pitches in his first rehab start, notably reaching 96 mph while on the bump for Double-A Somerset. He followed that outing with a 52-pitch performance last Thursday for High-A Hudson Valley.

Back with Double-A Somerset on Wednesday, Cole ramped up his workload to 60 pitches, going 5 2/3 innings in a 6-5 loss to Double-A Portland, a Boston Red Sox affiliate.

Cole recorded only three strikeouts and gave up three runs, but he didn’t issue a walk, and he went nearly six innings deep.

He retired the first 11 batters he faced; however, he eventually conceded two homers. That said, of his 60 pitches, 45 were strikes. Cole has only one walk to his name after his three rehab starts.

He hasn’t pitched in a big-league game since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He spoke Wednesday about what he’s learned since.

“I just try to keep things in better perspective,” he said, via SNY. “I’ve become a lot more grateful for the level of competition that the big leagues are and how hard it is to play and how much I miss it. I hopefully improved as a father over the last several months, being around the kids and spending more time with them. And I think just a fresh perspective, grateful to be playing a sport living. It’s a blessing.

While Cole admitted that sometimes he catches himself daydreaming about pitching against, say, the , he said it’s not too difficult to stay in the moment.