Cole, nearing return, reaches 99.6 mph in sixth rehab start

MOOSIC, Pa. --Gerrit Cole reached 99.6 mph with his four-seam fastball, throwing 86 pitches over 5 innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre against the Syracuse Mets on Saturday night in likely his next-to-last minor league injury rehabilitation start before rejoining the New York Yankees.

Returning from reconstructive elbow surgery March 11 last year, Cole threw 56 pitches for strikes and averaged 97 mph with his fastball.

He allowed one run and six hits with six strikeouts and one walk in his sixth minor league start. It was his first at Triple-A after two for High-A Hudson Valley and three for Double-A Somerset. He was pulled after getting an 0-2 count on Eric Wagaman, and he was relieved by Yerry De Los Santos with a 2-1 lead.

Cole has a 4.71 ERA over 28 innings, allowing 28 hits while striking out 28 and walking three. His pitch count was up from 77 in his previous outing.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Friday that Cole probably will make one more minor league start after this weekend.

Jackson Cluff singled on a first-pitch slider with one out in the third to become the Mets' first runner, and Kevin Parada blooped an opposite-field single to right on a 2-0 slider. Ji Hwan Bae hit a two-out grounder to the right side and reached on an infield single as first baseman Ernesto Martinez Jr. was slow with the toss. Cluff kept on running and scored just ahead of Cole's throw to the plate.

Cole gave up three straight hits in the fourth. Wagaman doubled and was thrown out at the plate by left fielder Jonathan Ornelas trying to score on Yonny Hernández's single.

A 35-year-old right-hander, Cole is a six-time All-Star and the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner.

He made his first minor league rehab start April 17. Though position players' minor league rehab assignments are limited to 20 days, pitchers have 30 days, and those recovering from Tommy John surgery might receive three consecutive 10-day extensions.

Elmer Rodriguez was recalled by the Yankees on Saturday and is set to start Sunday's Subway Series finale at the Mets.

With Max Fried sidelined because of a bone bruise in his left elbow, New York's rotation also includesCarlos Rodon, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Ryan Weathers.br/]