Right-hander Gerrit Cole returned to the pitcher’s mound Saturday for the first time since his most recent start Aug. 24 against the Houston Astros, throwing 30 fastballs in a side session with pitching coach Ray Searage and catcher Chris Stewart in the Pirates bullpen at PNC Park.
“It went well,” Cole said afterward. “I feel really good.”
Cole is on the 15-day disabled list because of posterior inflammation of the right elbow. Since an elbow specialist ruled out ligament damage last weekend, Cole has gone back to basics. Friday, he looked like a kid in the backyard again, firing the baseball off the padded wall down the left-field line and fielding the ball when it bounced back to him.