Yankees fans hoped Gerrit Cole would take one more step toward returning to the Bronx on Tuesday night. Instead, his rehab outing at High-A Hudson Valley left many with more questions than answers about his return.

The Yankees also moved Carlos Rodón to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for his latest rehab start, so both pitchers were on the mound the same night. However, only Rodón looked close to the finish line.

"Today, the Yankees transferred the rehab assignment of RHP Gerrit Cole from Double-A Somerset to High-A Hudson Valley and the rehab assignment of LHP Carlos Rodón from Double-A Somerset to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre," the team posted on X.

On his latest outing, Cole struggled from the very first inning. After allowing a double and a single, he left High-A Hudson Valley trailing 2-0 after the first inning. He later settled down a bit, but he again allowed a home run in the fourth.

The 2023 Cy Young Award winner threw 69 pitches, 49 of them strikes, before leaving the game. He allowed six runs on seven hits, including two home runs, against Winston-Salem.

By the numbers, Cole has now allowed 12 earned runs in 18.2 rehab innings, which works out to a 5.79 ERA.

Pitching for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on the same night, Rodón also had a rough outing. He allowed six runs, five of them earned, over 6.1 innings. But he reached the 83-pitch mark, with 49 strikes, and proved his durability. And unlike Cole, the Yankees believe Rodón is ready.

Before this latest outing, Rodón had allowed one run over 9.2 innings on six hits and one walk while striking out 12 batters at High-A and Double-A.

Fans are worried about Gerrit Cole's healthy return

"When do you guys think Cole will be back? July?," one fan asked on social media, while another added, "Why does Cole keep going backwards???"

While the original projections pointed to a late-May return, manager Aaron Boone recently admitted that Cole is still a "little ways away" from making his season debut with the Yankees, according to The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner.

With Cole expected to need at least two more minor-league starts to build up his workload, a June debut now appears to be the more realistic baseline.

Cole himself has tried to assure fans that the results are secondary to the process of rebuilding his arm’s durability.

Cole explained, “Even though it’s one start, there’s five days of process that you’ve got to execute. I’m confident that I’m going to execute those five days really well, but the reality is, it’s been a while since I’ve done them. It may seem like the same thing over and over again, but that’s the point.”

Despite the worry, one fan noted, "There's honestly no need to rush Gerrit Cole nor Carlos Rodon back when the current starting rotation is the best in MLB up to this point this season."

The Yankees currently lead the majors in team ERA and starters’ ERA. Everyone from Cam Schlittler and Max Fried to Will Warren is pitching exceptionally well. And with Rodón expected back in the Bronx this weekend, the Yankees would be adding another steady arm to an already elite staff.

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Written by

Md Saife Fida

Edited by

Sahil Prashar