NEW YORK — Yankees ace Gerrit Cole pitched 3 1/3 shutout innings Tuesday night for Double-A Somerset in his first minor league rehab start since being sidelined in spring training by a right elbow injury.
The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner struck out five of the 11 batters he faced and walked none against the Hartford Yard Goats, a Colorado Rockies affiliate. He allowed two hits and threw 34 of 45 pitches for strikes.
"I'm not sure how many more we'll need, but definitely closer rather than farther away," Cole said. "It should be right around the corner here.