ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Patiently, deliberately and encouragingly, the buildup continues for Gerrit Cole.
On Saturday at Tropicana Field, the Yankees ace threw his third bullpen session since being shut down in March with nerve inflammation and edema in his right elbow, throwing 29 pitches, 13 of which were breaking balls.
After throwing 15 pitches (all fastballs) in his first bullpen session last Saturday and then 20 pitches (mostly fastballs) on Tuesday, Cole continued to increase the volume and take another step toward a potential return that could come around the beginning of July.
“We’re making good progress,” Cole said. “Fastball profiles were good and location was good. The velocity was where we wanted it [averaging 89.5 mph]. A lot of strikes.”
The Yankees and Cole have repeatedly declined to put a timetable on his return, taking each step of the rehab process as it comes.
But Cole on Saturday indicated he would need at least a couple more bullpen sessions before he would be ready to advance to facing live hitters.
A handful of live sessions would then be followed by a rehab assignment, if everything continues to go as planned.
“Some of [the bullpen sessions] are a mixture of adding volume, adding intensity,” Cole said. “I’ve already kind of feathered in the breaking ball percentage or the off-speed percentage that’s relatively similar to what a game would be like. Allocating 55-60 percent fastballs, maybe just a tick on the high side at this [stage]. Then I would say we’re pretty much at full size at this point.
“So the next couple will be trying to progress to two ups, so that we can get to hitters. Gotta add the volume and intensity, feather that in strategically. I’m not sure how many more till we face hitters.”
As long as he recovers well from Saturday, Cole’s next bullpen session could come Tuesday at the Yankees’ player development complex in Tampa.
Cole would throw in the club’s pitching lab, which would allow him to receive biokinetic feedback.
“It’s just a little bit more information,” he said. “Just a way to cross-reference the data with the Hawk-Eye [tracking system]. A little bit more precision, so it’s just more information.”
Cole’s rehab process has gone well overall since he started playing catch again on April 8 following a three to four week shutdown.
He had only made one Grapefruit League start before being diagnosed with the elbow issue, which came after he was not recovering well between outings, so the Yankees plan to give Cole the equivalent of a full spring training (six weeks) to ramp up his workload responsibly.
Even without the reigning AL Cy Young winner, though, the Yankees rotation has pitched well to start the season.
The group entered Saturday having posted a 3.36 ERA, the seventh-lowest mark in the majors, which was lowered after Clarke Schmidt tossed 6 ²/₃ shutout innings against the Rays on Friday night.
“It’s fun to watch,” Cole said. “Big one [Friday] night for Clarke. They’re all just pulling the car together. They’re doing a great job pitching together as a group and communicating. Paying attention, feeding off one another, being competitive. They’re all improving in their own ways. They’ve been a real strength for us.”
While Cole has been sidelined, he has remained an important voice for his fellow pitchers, often giving them feedback and advice during or after starts or bullpen sessions.
That included Friday, when he watched Luis Gil’s bullpen session and then spent time with him going through some mechanical suggestions.
“We want to make sure we’re breaking our hands in a consistent spot,” Cole said of the motion of a pitcher’s throwing hand leaving the glove during the delivery. “Oftentimes as pitchers, we talk about the top of the leg lift. That can be a little bit individualized, in terms of some guys don’t necessarily break right at the top. I don’t break right at the top. But some of [Gil’s] deliveries kind of get a little bit inconsistent if his break isn’t great.
“So just working on trusting that. Trusting that when the ball is out early, you have to do less and it comes out hot, comes out where you want it to.”
