BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) 鈥� New York ace allowed three runs and three hits over 5 2/3 innings Wednesday in his third minor league injury rehabilitation start.
His outing came in the Somerset Patriots’ 6-5, seven-inning loss to Boston’s Portland Sea Dogs in the second game of a doubleheader in the Double-A Eastern League.
Cole struck out three and walked none, throwing 45 of 60 pitches for strikes.
鈥淣ot a lot of large misses and consistency out of all of the offerings today, which was nice,鈥� Cole said. 鈥淚 was pleased with the changeup. The shape and the location was pretty good today, probably the best it鈥檚 been.鈥�
Cole retired his first 11 batters before Ronald Rosario’s single. Johanfran Garcia hit a two-run homer on the next pitch for a 2-1 lead in the fourth and Max Ferguson also went deep on the first pitch, in the fifth.
Cole has a 4.40 ERA in three minor league starts, striking out 10 and walking one in 14 1/3 innings while allowing four homers. The 35-year-old right-hander made his first rehab start on April 17. While position players鈥� minor league rehab assignments are limited to 20 days, pitchers have 30 days and those recovering from Tommy John surgery may receive three consecutive 10-day extensions.
鈥淚t may seem like the same thing over and over again, but that鈥檚 the point, it’s that we don鈥檛 have time up there to push in an extra day should the recovery not be 鈥� you got to go and you got to perform,鈥� Cole said. “I want to get there, but I just have to build such a big base in order to get up there, get in the flow, and start to execute so in that regard it鈥檚 easy to stay focused on what I got to do, even though when I鈥檓 daydreaming sometimes I鈥檓 wishing I’m pitching against the Rangers.”
A six-time All-Star, Cole is returning from on March 11 last year that sidelined him for 2025. The last official outing for the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner was in .
Playing a day after his 25th birthday, Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe went 2 for 4. He is batting .303 (10 for 33) with one homer and three RBIs in 10 minor league games starting on April 14.
Recovering from Volpe could be activated by the Yankees for Friday’s series opener against Baltimore in New York.
Yankees left-hander Carlos Rod贸n is set to make his second minor league rehab start Thursday, for Somerset. He allowed one hit over 4 1/3 scoreless innings on April 24 for High-A Hudson Valley. He struck out four, walked one and threw 43 of 65 pitches for strikes.
Rod贸n is recovering from to remove loose bodies in his left elbow and shave a bone spur. He suffered a setback in late March when he felt tightness in his right hamstring while throwing at the Yankees鈥� complex in Florida.
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