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Gerrit Cole Tosses 99.6 MPH Rehab, Returns May

5/17/2026

Summary

Cole Rehab Start

Gerrit Cole threw a 5 1/3-inning rehab start for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, touching 99.6 mph.
He allowed one run, struck out six and walked one.
Aaron Boone said Cole needs one more rehab start and will return before the end of May while the Yankees handle Max Fried’s left-elbow bone bruise.
His rehab ERA is 4.71 over 28 2/3 innings, about 14 months after his March 2025 Tommy John surgery.

Summary

Cole Rehab Surge

Cole's rehab pitch counts rose from 44 on April 17 to 86 on May 17, showing steady progression.
RailRiders manager Shelley Duncan praised Cole's aggressive zone command and spot hitting.
Catcher Ali Sánchez said all of Cole's pitches were effective, with the changeup causing seven of 13 swings-and-misses.
The Yankees recalled Elmer Rodríguez to start the Subway Series finale as Max Fried stays out with a left-elbow bone bruise.

Summary

Cole Fastball

The Yankees played the second game of their series against the Mets at Citi Field.
They hold second place in the AL East with a 28-17 record after 45 games.
The team has gone 4-6 in its last ten contests.
Fans on X praised a 99.6 mph fastball in the Yankees’ Triple-A rehab start versus the Syracuse Mets earlier.

Summary

Cole Rehab Nears

Gerrit Cole underwent an internal-brace Tommy John elbow reconstruction in March 2025, using a synthetic ligament reinforcement.
The Yankees say Cole is now in the final stages of recovery, nearing the end of rehabilitation.
Gary Phillips reported that Cole began rehab on Saturday with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
The New York Daily News noted on 2026-05-17 that the internal-brace technique is intended to give greater elbow stability than traditional grafts.

History

Historical Context

In 1974 Dr. Frank Jobe performed the first ulnar-collateral-ligament reconstruction on Dodgers pitcher Tommy John, a breakthrough that later enabled about one-third of MLB pitchers to extend careers. The Yankees adopted the procedure, and in 2025 Gerrit Cole underwent a synthetic-reinforcement revision, illustrating the surgery’s evolution from Jobe’s graft to modern internal-brace techniques.

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Cole Rehab Start

Gerrit Cole threw a 5 1/3-inning rehab start for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, touching 99.6 mph.
He allowed one run, struck out six and walked one.
Aaron Boone said Cole needs one more rehab start and will return before the end of May while the Yankees handle Max Fried’s left-elbow bone bruise.
His rehab ERA is 4.71 over 28 2/3 innings, about 14 months after his March 2025 Tommy John surgery.

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