The New York Yankees are one of the best teams in baseball this season. Sitting at the top of the American League with a dominant Yankees lineup and rotation, it appears New York could soon get even stronger with the looming return of Gerrit Cole.
Even without Cole, the Yankees rotation has been excellent this season. Entering MLB games today, New York’s starting pitchers had the second-best ERA (2.78), the third-best WHIP (1.10) and the lowest batting average allowed to opponents (.209) across 346.2 innings pitched.
Related: MLB MVP race 2024, see where New York Yankees’ stars land
- New York Yankees pitching stats (2024): 2.78 ERA (1st in MLB), 1.12 WHIP (3rd), .210 batting average allowed (1st), 28 quality starts (7th)
A lot of the credit goes to Luis Gil (1.99 ERA and 0.95 WHIP), Nestor Cortes (3.46 ERA, 1.09 WHIP) and Marcus Stroman (2.73 ERA, 1.23 WHIP). Plus, Carlos Rodón (3.09 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) has been sharp on the mound after an injury-plagued start to his Yankees’ career.
However, Cole is a difference-maker when healthy and will resume his role as the ace of the Yankees rotation. Plus, getting him back will allow New York to limit Gil’s workload as he is already (63.1 innings pitched) on pace to blow past his career-high in innings (96.0 in 2019) as a pitcher in the minor leagues.
Related: MLB power rankings Week 10, find out where New York Yankees rank
When will Gerrit Cole return?
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported that Cole will make his first rehab start on Tuesday and New York has a tentative plan in place for how quickly it will ramp him up to speed for his 2024 MLB debut.
“Expected to throw about 50 pitches. Aaron Boone has said he’ll need at least 2 rehab starts. Then the question becomes, ok, do you want him building up to 80, 90 piches in the minor leagues or do you want him using those bulelts in the major leagues.”
Ken Rosenthal on when New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole will return, rehab starts
Related:Â New York Yankees game today, Yankees schedule;Â New York Yankees trade targets
Rosenthal also highlighted the convenient timing of Cole’s looming return. After a strong start to the 2024 season, Clarke Schmidt landed on the injured list with a right lat strain and he’s shut down from throwing for at least 4-6 weeks.
Given Schmidt’s absence, New York may decide to have Cole build up his pitch count as part of its major-league rotation. If that plan comes to fruition, Cole could be back in the Yankees rotation before June wraps up.
Also Read: Best baseball players of all time