BRADENTON, Fla. -- Gerrit Cole continued to move toward his first regular-season start Wednesday morning, throwing a back-field simulated game at McKechnie Field.
Cole threw four innings and around 65 pitches, increasing his workload after a three-inning outing -- another back-field game -- against the Yankees' Triple-A hitters at Pirate City on Friday.
Cole began the spring slightly behind schedule as he reported to camp recovering from right rib inflammation. He's passing each milestone -- in this case, throwing four innings -- shortly after his fellow starters but has reached the point where it otherwise feels like a normal Spring Training.